McParland, Gerry (Roe)
January 07, 2014
It was with great sadness and shock that we learned of the death of one of our own, Gerry (Roe) McParland, son of Frances and the late Paddy McParland passed away at 8.30am on Monday 23rd December. Although he never pulled on a jersey for Belleeks, he did play in the lead up to the club being affiliated in 1984, in those early days of the South Armagh festival, and although did play for the Parish team Whitecross, and of course Dorsey, he nevertheless always belonged to us at Belleek. It was indeed unfortunate that when the club came back into football in 1984, by that time he was resident in England.
We had immigration then, before immigration became popular. Gerry Roe, as he was known, was a lovely man, pleasant to speak to, a young boy who just enjoyed being young, and loved playing football, loyal to hish friends, all those who grew up with him, and knew him, speak highly and very respectably about him.
Gerry was a superb footballer, had so much talent and ability, when he had the ball he was exciting, no one else could get it, he was entertaining and a joy to watch, could beat his man with a shimmy her and a shimmy there, a drop of the shoulder and he was away, he was to Gaelic football what Ronaldo was to soccer, our own Ronaldo.
Unfortunately Belleek never got the benefit or the advantage of Gerry's football, born in 1958, he was just ten years old when Belleek were formed in 1968, was playing under-age football at the time with Whitecross, was a supporter of the then newly formed senior team, and when the club was reformed again in 1984, he was around 26, he would have been at his peak, but due to circumstances, he was never to wear the Belleek jersey. The Belleek St Laurence O'Tooles football club express their deepest sympathies to all the family circle of the late Gerry Roe, to his mother Frances, his wife Kath, daughter Tanya and son Sean, to his brothers John, Malachy, Philip, Joseph, Roche and we remember the late Colum, to his sisters Mary and Helen and the complete family circle.
Although he was away from Belleek for many years, he will be missed by all who knew him, as one footballer who played with him said "He was a mighty man."
Circumstances always dictate our life, where you go, what you do, and how we end up, and it did with Gerry Roe, a footballer who had the ability to go places, nothing would have been too big for this man, unfortunately for Gerry a lot of circumstances did work against him.
It is always sad when a young man's time and life come to an end, and again we express our sympathies to the McParland family and their wider family circle, we pray for them at this sad time. On Christmas morning Gerry McParland was laid to rest after Mass in St Brigid's Church, Carricknanny. May Jesus and his most Holy Family keep Gerry close to his Most Sacred Heart.
The Armagh Examiner, 7th January 2014
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