The late J.P. Newton We are greatly saddened by the news of J.P's death on Tallaght Hospital, Dublin, on Monday 2nd October, 2006. He was eighty one. J.P. was a native of Moheraven, Dromod, but for the past forty seven years he and his wife Kathleen Devine (from Churchill, near Letterkenny) lived at Lodge, near Killucan, on the Roscommon side of Carrick-on-Shannon. They had five children des (Carndonagh), John (Leixlip), Paul (Sligo) Enda (Dublin), Caroline (Boston). To his wife Kathleen to their family, to the eleven grandchildren, to sister-in-law Mary Newton and family, Moheraven, and all of his many relatives and friends we extend deepest sympathies. J.P was born in 29th June 1925 to Jane Ellen Guckian and Tommy Newtown. He had a sister Peggy Heslin and a brother Tom and both of them died within weeks of each other in 1990. He was, of course, uncle of Annaduff footballer Gerry Newton and of his sisters Mary and Helen and also uncle of Shane Heslin, the Gortleetera and Leitrim footballer, and cousin of Richard Maxwell, Fearnaught and of Sean Guckian, Clooncliva. He was a father figure to all his relatives and had an outstanding interest in all of them. JP was an extraordinary tall man - a giant in fact - and he is believed to have been well over seven feet tall. As a youngster he was very athletic and fond of a country pursuits such as hunting. He, and his good neighbours Jim Feeney, loved to take on and beat (in the best possible sense) "trick-of-the-loop" men at Mohill shows and fairs. He joined the ESB as a linesman and, as rural electrification extended in the 1950s, his work took him all over Connacht and Donegal. After a short while he was appointed ganger. Once, he told me some of the stories of that time as he and his friends travelled through country areas near Ballyahunis. They attended country dances and were not welcomed by some of the local lads. They were attacked with the intention of running them back to their lodgings but he ESB boys, led by JP, stood their ground very successfully. The word got around that there was a giant of a man among the ESB men. A church holiday happened a day or two later so as the faithful of Ballyhanuis were walking up the streets to Mass they saw an ESB lorry with two poles sticking out between the flaps at the back .The ESB boys had put a pair of socks and boots on the end of the poles to suggest that this giant was so big he couldn't fit inside the lorry. No doubt, this added greatly to his reputation. In terms of the GAA JP made quite a name for himself. He played at full-forward. Being so tall he was impossible to mark. Mick Dunne of the Irish Press, writing in 1959, described him as "the tallest player in IReland". He won medals with the following: Sean McDermotts (Manorhamilton) Juniors 1949; Bornacoola Juniors 1950 and 1952; Bornacoola Seniors 1952 and 1957. When Annaduff were refounded in 1958 he was back with his native club and played in a number of finals. They won the Junior League in 1960. The rivalry with Mohill was very keen in those years. I heard recently that he won a Roscommon Junior medal with Shannon Gales in the early 1960s. (His sons also played for Co. Roscommon and one played for Donegal). JP played Senior for Co. Leitrim. He played for the Seniors v Louth in The Prisoners Fund match August 1955 and he was a sub from 1954 to 1957 at a time when Leitrims fortunes were rising. Jack McNally, Dromod, was a fellow player at the time. Around these years JP and Stanley Cox were good referees in Co. Leitrim and refereed intercounty matches in Connacht. When Donegal wont he All-Ireland in 1992 I remember seeing JP being prominent among those congratulating Brian McEniff and team at Carrick railway station. The local papers, in Sept 1959, carried the news that JP had been in a car accident, and added that his father had died recently and he, himself, was to be married soon. Just two months ago I chatted with JP at an Annaduff match. He told me that in the 1950s he was injured and unable to play in a local match so he motored up to Dublin. He was just on the edge of the city when he found his car was out of petrol. Two minutes later, who came cycling but one of Leitrim's greatest ever i.e John "The Nipper" Shanley from Dromod. John had been living in Dublin for years at this time. He soon got his petrol and "The Nipper" said they should go horse-racing. "The Nipper" had a "certainty" and urged JP to put all he could afford on it. It won and he said he came home with nearly half a year's wages in his pocket. JP was one of the most constant and loyal supporters at Annaduff matches. It was usual to see him come in accompanied by a number of nieces, nephews and their families. He died on Monday, 2nd October 2006, following a long operation in Tallaght. Even when in intensive care he demanded that a TV be brought in so that he could see Leitrim Ladies play Sligo in the final on the 1st of October. Sadly, it was to be his last match. On the way from Dublin, his remains were brought home briefly to Moheraven, to Annaduff's Stanley Cox Park, to the church, and on to a massive turnout at both his removal on the 4th and, finally, his funeral in Drumlion on Thursday, 5th October, 2006. JP was a giant among us in many senses. May the sod of Drumlion rest lightly on his great heart. Ar dheis De go raibh a anam uasal. Courtesy of the Leitrim Observer 13 October 2006 Tweet

Most Read Stories