Westmeath Obituaries 2010/2011
Tommy ‘Tosser’ Houlihan (Mullingar) ‘Tosser’, who passed away on June 1 last, was one of Mullingar’s foremost GAA stars during the 1960s. He was only 15 when we won a junior hurling championship medal with Cullion in 1951. Lining out at corner forward, he scored 1-1 to help Cullion to their first ever county title at Castletown-Geoghegan’s expense. The following year, he played senior hurling for Cullion and soon established himself as a regular for Westmeath. He was top scorer on many occasions alongside the likes of Ned ‘Dinger’ Bruer and Jimmy Carey. Tommy eventually transferred to the now defunct Pearses club in Mullingar and was a key member of the side that defeated Raharney by 2-9 to 3-5 in the 1962 senior championship decider. Denis O’Donovan (Moate All-Whites) A native of Limerick, Denis, or Dinny, played for Moate in the 1960s and early 1970s. Also a noted handballer, he had begun his GAA career with his home club of Loughill and won a Limerick minor football championship medal with them as a 16-year-old. Dinny remained an avid Limerick supporter and often travelled to games involving the Treaty County with his wife Eilish or friends from his adopted town of Athlone. Kathleen Murray (Maryland) A popular member of the Walderstown and Drumraney communities, Kathleen was a committed supporter of Maryland and rejoiced in their recent successes which included the intermediate championship and ‘Celebrity Bainisteoir’ wins of 2008. Mattie Malone (Castlepollard) Mattie’s sudden death at the age of 48 last August shocked friends and work colleagues alike. Part of a large and well-known family, he played hurling and football in his youth with Castlepollard and Castletown-Finea/Coole/Whitehall respectively. A Castlepollard jersey was placed on his coffin at his funeral in recognition of his contribution to the club. Colin Coffey (Tyrrellspass) Aged just 33, Colin was teaching in China when he died suddenly last August. He loved sport and was a passionate Westmeath and Arsenal supporter. He excelled in martial arts and was chosen as a member of the South Korean national team for an international contest in 2007. Kenneth Tuite (St. Malachy’s) Kenneth, who died tragically in Perth at the age of just 29 last August, was a former underage player with St. Malachy’s. The Dysart native had been living and working in Australia since September 2007. John ‘Sonny’ Dinnegan (Kilbeggan Shamrocks) John was a well-known figure in Kilbeggan whose son Anthony played with the local club and is also a talented soccer player. Jim Casserly (Lough Lene Gaels) Jim was a star goalkeeper with the old Collinstown club and Westmeath in the 1950s. He kept goal for Westmeath in 1955 when they recorded big wins over Offaly and Laois in the Leinster championship before losing to the great Wexford team of that time at the semi-final stage. In the same year, he helped Collinstown to a resounding 8-5 to 4-3 victory over Castletown-Geoghegan in the county final. The success atoned for the disappointment of losing the 1954 final to local rivals Rickardstown after a replay. Tommy Rooney (Ballymore) A native of Fermanagh, Tommy arrived in Ballymore in the early 1950s via Cavan and Mullingar. There, he established a successful bar, grocery, hardware, undertaking and auctioneer’s business, and became involved with the local GAA club. He was a keen sportsman and as well as being a founder member of Mullingar Tennis Club, he won senior football championship medals in Cavan and Westmeath with Cavan Gaels and St. Loman’s respectively. In addition, he won a junior championship medal with Ballymore and was one of the main men behind the carnivals held annually in Ballymore to raise funds for the purchase of the local GAA pitch. Thomas L’Estrange (Tyrrellspass and Dublin) Thomas, who was in his 79th year, was a native of Gneevebawn but lived in Dublin for much of his life. He was a passionate GAA man and supported local clubs Tyrrellspass and St. Mary’s as well as the Westmeath county team. Paddy Conlon (Boher) Paddy had a lifelong interest in the GAA and it was a source of pride to him that he was a member of the Boher team that won the junior championship in 1953 and the intermediate championship in 1957. Tom Fagan (Castlepollard) Tom wore the Castlepollard jersey during the 1970s and 1980s, and also kept goal for Westmeath during the same period. He was hugely involved in the club’s underage scene and sold many a lotto ticket over the years. Tom’s stepson Ollie Boylan is also a great supporter of ‘The Town’ with his son Noel being a current member of the club’s senior panel. Theresa Lynch (Raharney) Theresa was an avid supporter of the Raharney hurling and camogie teams, and rarely missed a match involving the Deelsiders. Noel Graham (St. Loman’s) Noel was a staunch St. Loman’s supporter whose son Alan represented with distinction in the 1990s. Sean Kenny (Mullingar and Boyle) A well-known musician who hailed from Boyle, Co. Roscommon, Sean used to run The Market Bar in Mullingar which has provided sponsorship to many local GAA clubs down the years. The Market Bar was also a popular watering hole with supporters of many clubs, including Milltown and Castletown-Geoghegan. JJ O’Connor (St. Mary’s) JJ is fondly remembered by Westmeath supporters as a member of Luke Dempsey’s management team when the Lake County won the All-Ireland minor title in 1995. His fellow selectors were Johnny Moran (Maryland), Paddy McCormack (Bunbrosna) and Eunan McCormack (The Downs). JJ also served as a county minor board vice-chairman for a number of years and was deeply involved with St. Mary’s, whom his sons Paul and Jonathan played for. Jonathan was a member of the Westmeath minor team which lost the 1992 Leinster final to Meath. Dr John Fitzpatrick (Athlone) A former Westmeath team doctor, a minute’s silence was observed in John’s memory before last June’s Leinster SFC clash between Westmeath and Wicklow in Tullamore. Michael Dalton (Castletown-Geoghegan) Affectionately known as “O’Hara”, Mick was a member of a well-known hurling family in Castletown-Geoghegan. He manned the centre back position for many years and was part of the famous Castletown team which won a three-in-a-row of senior championships between 1956 and ’58. Paddy Hill (Killucan) A lifelong employee of CIE, Paddy was a staunch GAA man who played football in his youth with Derrymore. He was a regular fixture at matches and had a tremendous knowledge of the game. Mickey Kelly (Rosemount) Born in 1927, Mickey was the eldest member of a well-known Rosemount GAA family. He played football for both Rosemount and Westerns in Dublin, and also wore the Westmeath jersey on a number of occasions. Teresa Maguire (Bunbrosna) Teresa, who died in tragic circumstances last December at the age of 57, was wife of former Bunbrosna GAA chairman Vinny Maguire. Vinny also served as Bunbrosna underage chairman a number of years ago and managed the county under 16 footballers about a decade ago. Tommy McCoy (Mullingar) Born just a stone’s throw from Mullingar Shamrocks club grounds in Springfield, Tommy played football in his youth and was a devoted Westmeath supporter who travelled the length and breath of the country supporting the team. Gilbert Carey Jnr (Ballinagore) Gilbert, who died following a long battle with cancer at the age of just 39, was the son of the Ballinagore GAA stalwart of the same name. Gilbert snr is a familiar face at Pairc Bhodhrain and has been part of the Westmeath senior football backroom team for many years. Helena Finglas (Castlepollard) Predeceased in the past decade by her parents Moss and Nellie, Helena was born into a well-known Castlepollard hurling family. Not surprisingly, Helena developed a passion for the game at an early age and went on to play camogie for both Castlepollard and St. Munna’s. She also captained the Westmeath camogie team. Following the disbandment of the camogie club in Castlepollard, Helena joined St. Munna’s in 1990 and was an integral part of the side which won a remarkable 13-in-a-row of county senior championships. She was a committed, whole-hearted player who usually lined out in defence. One of the highlights of Helena’s career came in 1996 when she was won the Player of the Match award in a Leinster League tournament called the Milk Cup, which St. Munna’s won that year. Helena’s brothers Michael, Jimmy, Joseph and the late Terry all hurled for ‘Pollard, while her sisters Mary and Deborah were also talented camogie players. Joe Brennan (Crookedwood) Jim, who lived the greater part of his life in Co. Kerry, was part of the Brennan family who are synonymous with Crookedwood hurling. He was a top track and field athlete in his youth, with the javelin, weight throwing and sprints being his preferred disciplines. He had some tremendous battles on the track with the late Brendan O’Reilly of RTE Sports fame, but had to settle for second best to the Longford man on many occasions. Chrissie Dunican (Kilbeggan) Chrissie, whose death took place last December, was predeceased by her husband Paul in 2009. Paul was a lifelong member of Kilbeggan Shamrocks and represented the club at 70 consecutive county conventions, which is believed to be a record. Tom Keegan (Ballinagore) Tom was a stalwart of Ballinagore GAA down the years. He played at midfield for many years from the late 1970s onwards and was chairman of the club when Pairc Bhodhrain was opened in 1993. John Fitzsimons (Clonkill and The Downs) Johnny’s tragic death at the age of 21 was greeted with shock and disbelief in both Clonkill and The Downs. He played hurling and football with both clubs and enjoyed plenty of success during his all-too-short career. He won under 14, under 16, minor and under 21 and senior hurling medals with Clonkill and under 16, minor and under 21 football medals with The Downs. Johnny’s family are steeped in Clonkill hurling with his father, Jimmy, being club chairman when the club won the All-Ireland intermediate title in Croke Park three years ago. His grandfather, Jim, won seven senior championship medals between 1929 and ’41 and holds the remarkable distinction of having captained Clonkill right through that glorious era for the club. Both Johnny and his brother James were members of the Clonkill panel which won senior hurling championships in 2007 and ’09 as well as the All-Ireland intermediate club title in 2008. Johnny, who usually lined out in defence, would almost certainly have been a regular for the Clonkill seniors but for the fact that he suffered a serious leg injury when he was 14 which reduced his natural speed. Despite this injury, he represented his county at underage level. In football, corner forward was his preferred position and Johnny could always be counted upon to come up with important scores. Anne Kelly (Mullingar) Anne was predeceased by her husband James and son Ben, who was a former chairman of St. Oliver Plunkett’s hurling club and secretary of the Westmeath minor board. Joe Montgomery (St. Joseph’s) Joe, who was just a few weeks short of his 91st birthday when he passed away last June, was a founding member of the St. Joseph’s club in Streamstown. Up until about five years ago, he regularly attended games and was very proud when St. Joseph’s won the junior championship for the first time in 2004. He had an in depth knowledge of the GAA rulebook, and won many an argument for St. Joseph’s and Boher at county board level down through the years. Though a proud Streamstown man, he wore the red and green jersey of Boher with distinction during the 1940s and 1950s, being goalkeeper on their 1953 junior championship winning team. A pillar of the community, he was also involved with Streamstown GAA during the 1960s and 1970s, leading up to the formation of St. Joseph’s in 1982. Mick Burke (Mullingar Shamrocks) A native of Stradbally, Co. Laois, Mick was a retired Detective Garda whose death at the age of 56 on June 6 last caused widespread shock in his adopted Mullingar. Mick, or ‘Blondie’ as he was affectionately known, was an outstanding servant to Mullingar Shamrocks both as a player and administrator. He served the Springfield club with distinction during his 29 years in the town, holding the positions of secretary and PRO. Despite being a fanatical Laois supporter, he was immensely proud whenever his son Micheal or daughter Lisa played for Westmeath. Micheal was a half back on the Westmeath team that won the All-Ireland under 21 title in 1999 and also helped Shamrocks to win the Flanagan Cup the following year. Lisa has been a regular on the Westmeath ladies football team for many years and was joint-captain of the Shamrocks team which won the intermediate title in 2009. She has also won several senior camogie medals with Raharney. Mick was a former footballer with Stradbally and Laois. His wife, Marie, is also steeped in the GAA with the Leinster senior football championship cup being named after her late father, Bill Delaney. A minute’s silence was observed before the Leinster SFC match between Westmeath and Wicklow in memory of this great GAA man. Members of both the Mullingar Shamrocks and Stradbally GAA clubs paid tribute to Mick by providing guard of honours as his remains were brought to the Cathedral of Christ the King in Mullingar. Bernadette Moran (Ringtown) Rathowen woman Bernadette was a great supporter of Ringtown hurling club whom her son Gerard represented at underage level. Along with her husband Gerry, she was most helpful to the club in transporting players to matches and training. Donal Power (Cullion) A member of a famous Cullion hurling family, Donal had lived in England for the greater part of his life. Before emigrating, however, he lined out for Cullion and won a junior championship medal with them. Pat Nally (Rosemount) Pat, who had lived in Coosan in recent years, was a native of Rosemount and wore the black and amber with distinction during his younger years. Paul Fagan (Mullingar Shamrocks) Paul’s sudden death at the age of 47 last October came as a huge shock to the people of Mullingar. Known affectionately by his friends as ‘Rusty’, he was proprietor of The Lake County Hotel which hosted many a county board meeting and GAA function down the years. A brother of legendary Mullingar Shamrocks and Westmeath footballer Michael ‘Spike’ Fagan, Paul – while not a player himself – was a passionate GAA supporter. He had close ties with Mullingar Shamrocks and kindly donated bar furniture from The Lake County to the club when they developed their new clubhouse nearly a decade ago. A minute’s silence was observed for Paul before the Leinster club hurling championship game between Raharney and Coolderry, while in another mark of respect, the St. Oliver Plunkett’s minor hurlers lined out in an old set of jerseys which had been sponsored by The Lake County for their Division 2 championship final victory over Lough Lene Gaels. Fr Gerry Stanley (Mullingar and Rathkenny) A native of Mullingar, Fr Gerry was ordained in 1960 and served as a curate in Ratoath, Rochfortbridge and Kilcloon before his appointment as parish priest of Rathkenny, Co. Meath in 1988. He was president of the local GAA club up until the time of his death. Frank O’Grady (Castlepollard and Galway) Born in Castlepollard in 1929, Frank worked in England for 14 years before returning to live in Galway with his wife Margaret and young family in 1964. He was instrumental in setting up the Mervue camogie club and later served as chairman of the Galway camogie board. Frank was elected president of the Connacht Council in 1978 and became Honorary Life President of the Galway camogie board in 1997. Joe Keegan (St. Brigid’s) Joe was a former St. Brigid’s secretary whose son Jimmy remains involved with the club. Jim Bourke Snr (Cullion) Aged 93 and a native of Cahirciveen, Co. Kerry, Jim was the head of a well-known family which is synonymous with Cullion hurling club. All of his sons played for Cullion with John, Eugene and Dan being especially associated with the club. Mary Bourke (Cullion) Mary, who passed to her eternal reward on September 5 last, was predeceased by her husband, Jim Snr, just three months earlier. She was well-known and well-liked in her local community and proud of her family’s strong association with Cullion hurling club. Michael O’Connor (Mullingar Shamrocks) A native of Kerry and a member of the Garda Siochana, Michael ‘Micko’ O’Connor moved to Mullingar in 1980 and immediately became involved with Mullingar Shamrocks. Both of his sons, Ivan and Mervyn, played for the club and Mick acted as statistician to the senior team during the 1990s, which was a glorious decade for the club. Mick was a talented footballer in his younger days, lining out for his native St. Michael’s in Ballinskelligs as well as St. Callan’s in Dublin. Marcella Nannery (Kilbeggan) Marcella was the mother of former Kilbeggan Shamrocks players Eugene and Martin, who lined out together in the 1980 county senior final against The Downs. Martin later won a junior championship with Kilbeggan in 1992, while Eugene is a former chairman of his adopted St. Joseph’s and is the current secretary of the Kilbeggan/St. Joseph’s underage club. Liam Hickey (Shandonagh) Liam was part of a well-known Shandonagh GAA family who represented the sky blues with distinction. A brother of club treasurer Gerry and an uncle of current players Kevin and Alan, he usually lined at full forward. He played in both the junior championship and league finals in 1968, and finished on the winning side in the latter. He was very proud when his aforementioned nephew Kevin played at full back on Westmeath’s 1995 All-Ireland winning minor team, while he also took great delight from Alan’s Leinster minor championship success with Westmeath five years later. Shay Boyhan (Multyfarnham) Only in his mid-fifties, Shay was synonymous with ladies football in Westmeath. He was deeply involved with the Clann Gaels club which caters for players from the Multyfarnham/Bunbrosna area, and also served as chairman and vice-chairman of the Westmeath ladies football board. Shay was also involved with hurling and football in the area and was also a lifelong member of Fine Gael, having sat of Westmeath County Council for two-and-half years in the last decade. Frank Cannon (Coralstown/Kinnegad) Frank was a member of a well-known GAA family in Kinnegad and took a keen interest in the club’s affairs. David Connolly (Kilbeggan) A successful businessman who lived in Galway for many years, David lost his life in a road accident. He is fondly remembered in Kilbeggan for the part he played in the club’s 1965 junior championship success. Gerry Usher (St. Mary’s) Gerry, who lived in Delvin, wore the St. Mary’s jersey with pride and was a great clubman both on and off the field. He won an under 21 ‘B’ championship medal in the late 1980s and was a selector alongside Jim Whelehan and Paul Cocoman when the ‘Bridge won the junior championship in 2008. Vinnie Shiels (Raharney) Vinnie was a legendary figure in Raharney hurling circles whose death poignantly took place just days after the Deelsiders’ celebrated the capture of their 11th senior hurling title last October. The much loved octogenarian was the very heart of Raharney hurling and was a former chairman of the club. Pat Downes (Maryland) Pat was a long-serving member of Westmeath GAA and was president of his beloved Maryland at the time of his death last October. Mairt O’Gorman (Athlone) Mairt, or Martin who died following a vicious assault in Navan last June, was a passionate GAA follower who had a tremendous knowledge of the game. The 63-year-old Battery Road native developed a huge interest in Meath football during his time as a boarder in Gormanston College and took great delight from the Royals’ many successes down the years. Brother Hugh Murphy (Multyfarnham) Brother Hugh was a hugely respected figure in Westmeath handball circles. He served as chairman of the handball board for many years and also trained many young handballers from the county to All-Ireland titles. Pat Mullaniff (Multyfarnham) Pat, who had been in ill health for some time, played football with Multyfarnham in his youth. He was immensely proud of the Mullaniff underage football tournament, which is held in honour of his late brother Frank each year. Pat was also proud of his son David’s achievements on the handball court. He coached David for many years and travelled the length and breath of the country to support him in the various tournaments he took part in. Paddy Ryan (Kilbeggan) Synonymous with Kilbeggan Community Games, Mullingar Harriers and the greyhound scene, Paddy was a tremendous influence on many a young budding sports person in the town, particularly in the field of athletics. His sons Pat, Dave and Joe all represented Kilbeggan Shamrocks at underage level and are fanatical Westmeath supporters. Louis (Nicholas) McDonnell (Glenidan and Mullingar) A resident of Auburn Avenue, Mullingar, Louis was a star hurler with Glenidan and Lough Lene Gaels in his youth. He helped Glenidan to county junior championship successes in 1954 and ‘62, and was a member of the Westmeath team that claimed All-Ireland junior honours in ’63. After Glenidan merged with Collinstown to form Lough Lene Gaels in 1969, Louis continued his hurling career and won two senior championship medals with the newly-formed club in 1975 and ’76. He also won a junior league medal and a junior championship medal with the Gaels in 1971 and ’73 respectively. Thomas (Tommy Mac) McCormack (Rosemount) Tommy Mac was well-known in Scor circles, being responsible for the sound at Scor and Scor na nOg finals down the years. Sean Quinn (St. Loman’s and The Downs) Born in Ballynacargy in 1933, Sean was a former member of the nursing staff of St. Loman’s Hospital and more recently had operated a taxi company. He wore the St. Loman’s colours before becoming involved with The Downs, whom his children played for. A staunch Fianna Fail supporter, he also played in goal for the county football team on a number of occasions.