Aaron Devlin laid to rest
August 03, 2015
A tribute to Aaron Devlin before the All Ireland quarter final between Dublin and Fermanagh at Croke Park.
An estimated 2,000 mourners attended the funeral of Aaron Devlin at St. Patrick's Church, Ballinderry yesterday.
The 23-year-old Ballinderry and Derry footballer died in hospital on Thursday after contracting an aggressive strain of meningitis and was laid to rest in his home town yesterday afternoon. A moment's silence was held at all games in Croke Park and across the country over the weekend as a mark of respect.
Fr Peter Donnelly said of the young physiotherapist: "His love of sport, his passion for Gaelic football, his skill on the field, his commitment as a team player have all been widely commented upon by people who know much more about that than I do.
"But I know he was kind. His unassuming modesty, his love of his family, his loyalty to friends - qualities which pointed to something more. The mark of a man."
GAA president Aogan O Fearghail said Aaron "represented both his native county Derry and his home club Ballinderry with distinction and was highly regarded across his native county and further afield," while Ballinderry Shamrocks chairman Stephen McGeehan admitted that the past week had been "excruciating" for everyone involved with the close-knit club.
