IT was with great sadness that the news of the passing of our beloved 'Fr Jack' spread throughout the parish of Coolmeen/Cranny and further afield. Fr John O'Keffee was president of the Coolmeen Ladies' and Men's GAA Clubs and president of the Clare Ladies Football Board since the passing of Tom Malone in Miltown in April 2008. Fr Jack was one of the founder members of the Clare Ladies' Football Board in 1983 and he served as the first chairperson of the board in 1983 and 1984.

Fr O'Keffee was a native of Carrahill, Crusheen. He studied for the priesthood at St Patrick's College, Maynooth, where he was ordained on June 22, 1958. He began his priestly ministry in the parish of Brentwood, England, during August 1958. On his return to Ireland on March 12, 1965 he was appointed briefly to Feakle, County Clare and Castleconnell, County Limerick. He became curate in Mullagh on May 15, 1965 and afterwards in Miltown Malbay on July 10, 1971. Fr Keffee became parish priest of Coolmeen-Cranny on November 26,1989.

He had amazing vision and his ideas and thoughts were of a man more suited to the 21st century. He was well travelled and very knowledgeable of all aspects of travel. He took many people from our parish and adjoining parishes on their first trip outside of Ireland. These trips were looked forward to with much anticipation and to this day, anyone who was fortunate enough to go on one of these trips will still recount many cherished memories. Many
more memories were made at the youth discos that Fr Jack ran. He had his own sound system, complete with flashing lights. The Queens wasn't a patch on one of his discos, usually held at the clubhouse in Coolmeen.

Fr O'Keffee retired as parish priest and became priest- in-residence in Coolmeen-Cranny on July 25, 2008. He spent his last few years in The
Village Nursing Care Centre, Craughwell, County Galway. It was warming to see pictures of the Coolmeen ladies and men's teams and a picture of his native Crusheen's hurling team in his room in the nursing home when people visited.

Fr Jack was an inspiration to us as young lady footballers. He insisted that we were treated as equals to our male counterparts, in an age where equality didn't always exist. Hardly a game went by without Pr Jack putting in an,appearance at some stage of our matches.

His team talks at half-time always motivated us to do better in the second half and even though we might have been losing by five goals and as many points at the time he always told us we were 'GREAT and we would turn things around in the second half.

He also instilled a love of religion in us and his popular 30-minute Sunday masses always gave us something to ponder on for the week ahead. He was a great man to give advice of any kind and solved many 'on and off the field of play' problems for us. In July 2012, Coolmeen GAA were delighted that he was able to attend the 125th anniversary.

Fr O'Keffee will be greatly missed by all whose lives he touched, not only in Cranny-Coolmeen but also in his other former parishes as well as in his home parish of Crusheen. This was evident in the huge numbers who passed through Coolmeen Church on Tuesday and Wednesday evening last and the great numbers who turned out to walk with him to his final resting place in Cranny Graveyard on Thursday evening.

He was a friend to all he encountered and we remember him with this reading from the Book of Ecclesiasticus:

A faithful friend is a sure shelter,
Whoever finds one has found
a rare treasure.
A faith fill friend is something
beyond price,
There is no measuring their
worth.
A faithful friend is the elixir
of life,
And those who respect the
Lord will find one.
Whoever respects the Lord
makes true friends,
For as one is so are 'their
friends.

Ar dheis De go raibh a anam dflis.

Courtesy of The Clare Champion Tweet

Most Read Stories