O'Sullivan, Gearoid
February 19, 2010THE LATE GEARÓID O'SULLIVAN
The untimely death of Lissycasey man Gearóid O'Sullivan was a huge blow to his wife Geraldine, his daughters Helena and Hannah and his wider family but also a major blow to Lissycasey GAA.
Gearóid played juvenile football with the club and then graduated to the older grades, winning an U-21 B championship title with Lissycasey in 1975 when this particular competition was played for the first time.
Having graduated as a primary school teacher, he spent his early teaching years working outside the county but returned to take up a teaching appointment in the local national school at the end if the 1970s.
He immediately became immersed in the GAA club and took on the task of coaching various underage teams. He steered a number of school sides to county titles and also enjoyed a lot of success as a club coach, leading Lissycasey teams to county
U-14 and U-16 titles.
At the time, many club underage teams competed in C grade competitions but under Gearóid's guidance club sides moved up to B level and then into the A grades.
Gearóid didn't confine his involvement in the club to the coaching of teams. In the late '70s, the club had set up a development committee with a view to developing a playing pitch and Gearóid became secretary of this committee and played a leading role in overseeing the development of the club's main pitch in Lissycasey, facilities which were officially opened in 1982.
He then became chairman of the club, a post he held for over a decade, during which time he supervised the progress of the club's adult team from junior through intermediate and onto senior level.
He was a member of the selection committee that steered the club to the junior championship title in 1992, the U-21B title in 1993, the intermediate title in 1994 and promotion to Division 1 of the senior league in 1995.
Throughout this time, he continued to coach the school football team and his work led to the winning of a number of county Division 1 schools titles, the most recent success at this level coming in the spring of 2009.
Many of the players on the Lissycasey team that won the county senior championship and Cusack Cup titles for the first time in 2007 received their early coaching from Gearóid and there were few prouder people in Cusack Park in October 2007 when the Jack Daly Trophy was presented to the men in maroon and white.
Despite his busy schedule with the GAA club, he still found time to promote various other community activities. He was a staunch supporter of the Credit Union movement and played an active role in the growth of Fergus Credit Union, whose headquarters are in Lissycasey.
As Lissycasey GAA heads into another year, there is no doubt that Gearóid O'Sullivan's loss will be sorely felt. He played a huge part in the development of the club to the healthy position it now enjoys.
Ar dheis De to raibh ainm dílis
Lissycasey GAA club
Courtesy of the Clare Champion
February 19th 2010 Tweet
