It is with great sadness we report the passing of one of Castlepollard's and Westmeath's greatest ever dual stars, Michael (Mickey) Fagan.

Mickey, who was only 68, had bravely battled his illness for a long number of years but sadly on Monday 23rd December 2013 succumbed to it surrounded by his family. It is testament to his great strength of character and resolve that he came to terms with and indeed met his illness head on, battling it with both dignity and grace right to the end.

Mickey was a native of Castletown-Finea and was one of the biggest names in Westmeath GAA during the 1960s and 1970s. He played his hurling for 'Pollard and his football with Castletown-Finea and represented his county with distinction in both codes, with his senior inter-county career spanning over 13 seasons. Representing four teams was never a burden because he enjoyed it so much. With the Castlepollard hurlers, Fagan found success easier to come by and he featured in their senior championship triumphs of 1961, '65, '66 and was the very proud captain in '74. During these years he lined out alongside his brother Seamus.

His footballing talents first came to notice when he helped St. Patrick's College, Cavan (where he was a boarder) to back-to-back MacRory Cup wins in 1962 and '63. In the same years he played minor football for Westmeath and was corner forward on the team which lost the 1963 All-Ireland final to Kerry.

Mickey played his early club football with The Downs before throwing in his lot with the reformed Castletown-Finea club in 1964. If Mickey had stayed with The Downs, he could have won five senior championships, but he never regretted his decision to go back and play for his home club. His finest hour in a Castletown-Finea jersey came in 1976 when he captained them to an intermediate championship final victory over their north county rivals St. Paul's.

Always cheerful, he had a fund of anecdotes, both hurling and otherwise, at his disposal which he loved to recount. Indeed on his numerous visits to the Pollard Senior Training sessions prior to the breakthrough in regaining the Westmeath Examiner Cup after a 21-year wait in 1995, Mickey remarked, "I haven't smiled in 21 years".

Then one evening he produced the photo of him lifting the cup in '74 and proudly remarked, "look at that for a smile". This sporting smile returned again some years later when his son Martin became the first Irish athlete since John Treacy in '92 to compete in the Olympic Games marathon in Beijing in 2005.

Mickey regarded the 1967 Leinster championship win over Dublin and qualification for the 1969 National League semi-final as the highlights of his Westmeath football career. He recalled: "We were very close to making a breakthrough at that time. After beating Dublin in the 1967 championship, we suffered a narrow defeat to Meath who went on to win the All-Ireland that year. We reached the National League semi-final two years later, only to lose to a very strong Kerry team."

Fagan's best performance for the Westmeath hurlers came in the 1975 All-Ireland 'B' home final against Antrim at Croke Park, when he scored 0-8 from centre back. He also held fond memories of Westmeath's defeat of Offaly in the 1967 Leinster championship, which was dubbed the 'Battle of Birr'. "We won the game and the row!" he remembered.

Mickey was forced to hang up his boots for good in 1980 due to the onset of his illness. He remained an avid follower of Westmeath GAA and shortly before his death attended a 50th anniversary reunion for the 1963 minor footballers in Mullingar.

A guard of honour composed of past and present members of both the Castlepollard Hurling Club and CTFCW Football Club greeted the cortege. Mickey's funeral Mass was celebrated in the Cathedral of Christ the King on Friday 27th December, following which his remains were interred in Marlinstown Cemetery. The large numbers who attended his removal and funeral Mass were testimony to Mickey's popularity.

To his wife Marie, son Martin, daughters Ann, Mary, Yvonne and Una, brother Seamus, sisters Mary and Breege and many loyal friends we offer our deepest sympathy and support. May his gentle soul rest in peace. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dilis. Tweet

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