Cotter, Eamon
August 10, 2012A Legendary man, a man who was a big thinker and one who was ahead of his time as far as getting things done goes will be buried in California.
Eamon Cotter of Invern in the Cois Fharraige Gaeltacht emigrated to the sunny West coast of the United States in the late Eighties to escape a recession. He went into the construction industry, possibly with a view that it would be temporary, but found the whole lifestyle so much to his liking that he moved his wife and children there a few years later.
He left behind many legacies, not least The Poitin Stil bar, lounge and dancehall, which in its day was the biggest dancehall in West Galway, certainly in Connemara in the early Eighties.
Buses came from all over the county and sometimes further afield to hear bands like Doc Carroll and the Nightrunners, Big Tom and the Mainliners, Samba and The Philosophers, The Indians, Brush Shiels, Gina, Dale Haze and The Champions and local band, The Conquerors.
It was the ballroom of romance, a place of dreams and possibly at the time, the only source of contemporary live entertainment within a 30 mile radius.
Eamon, who died aged 71 after a long illness in his adopted Oakland, outside San Fransisco, was the son of a publican.
Johnny Cotter and his wife Maimie ran a small pub on the site of the Poitin Stil in Inverin. Eamon was too much of a big thinker to simply take over the family business. He wanted to expand and develop and that's exactly what he did.
He was educated in St Jarlath's College and before moving to Inverin to take over the pub, lived in Barna with his wife Patsy and the eldest of their children.
Soon, the pub had a function room, one which turned into a ballroom or nightclub at the weekends but which also hosted an Oireachtas event one year, many's the GAA social and was even the local for a film club one winter. It was many things to many people.
But Eamon's true passion was motor rallying and he was one of the founders of the Galway Motor Club, which in turn established the International Galway Rally event.
Up until his recent illness, he still drove, not one but a few cars, one of them a track car. Many will remember one of Eamon's first cars, a Mini Cooper, which he often drove around the large car park at the Poitin showing off his driving skills, including handbrake turns.
At the end of the Sixties and the beginning of the Seventies he got more and more involved in rallying at a competitive level, winning the Irish Rally and in 1973 came second in the National Circuit of Ireland with Paul Phelan navigating in a BMW Alpina and they were RIAC champions in 1970, '71 and '72.
He put his organisational skills to great use when he got involved with the Micheal Breathnach football club in Inverin and was one of the instigators of building a proper clubhouse with dressing room facilities and developing the pitch.
But he didn't stop there. He managed the minor Micheal Breathnachs team and they won the County Final against Milltown in 1976 and again the following year when they beat Corofin. At the time, this was indeed no small feat and many put it down to 'Eamon's inspirational and motivational skills.
It is no wonder then that once the Eighties recession forced Eamon to emigrate that he took to the Californian lifestyle because his thinking was more American than Irish.
A native Irish speaker, he enjoyed a good life in the US and retained his love of cars and racing. Eamon, who passed away on Friday, was remembered by many during the week as "a true gentleman" and one hell of a good driver.
His funeral takes place in Oakland today but the family are already planning a memorial
service that will be held in Galway next month.
He is survived by his wife Patsy, his sons John, Paul, David, Kenny, Robbie and Elayne as well as an extended family and a wide circle of friends.
Ar Dheis De go raibh a anam.
Courtesy of the Connacht Tribune, August 10th, 2012. Tweet
