The late Ian Barrett Ian Barrett has gone to his reward. A gentle arm clasped my shoulder as we walked away from the little graveyard called Chruchill overlooking Kerry Head and the Magherees on December 30, having said our last farewells to Ian on a cold Kerry morning. The comforting arm epitomised a warmth and friendliness which had permeated Ian's life and drawn a multitude of wonderful friends to his funeral. Ian died suddenly on St Stephen's morning while out on a charity walk for the local Hospice. He mentioned to his friend Eugene that he felt a little weak and collapsed on the roadside never once regaining consciousness, leaving like a light extinguished on his 66th year. He would have wished to leave unobtrusively; a little apprehensive perhaps that his passing in this way might have a devastating effect on his wife Anne, sons Gary and Enda and daughters Dara and Crona and so he lived his life reminding them of his love for them and of how much they meant to him. He had a passion for sport, particularly golf, and he immersed himself in Tralee Golf Club where he was both captain and president in the past. He was also a member of Ballybunion Golf Club where he frequently played with this close friend and fellow Clareman, Michael Coote. His passion for golf was surpassed only by his fascination and love for hurling and for his beloved Clare. He developed his passion for hurling from his schooldays in Ennis CBS, an alma mater for great Clare hurlers in the past. I was to encounter Ian in the hurling world in 1965 when I was trainer to the Clare team which reached the Munster final in that year against the formidable Tipperary side. He was a fantastic supporter and was the eternal optimist for Clare through the National Hurling League victories of the seventies and eighties, before attaining the holy grail in 1995 and 1997. I have to say that Ian's rapport and empathy through the years with Clare GAA were palpable and his friendship and support for Kay and myself through our difficult times were spontaneous and generous. I can honestly say that in a sporting context, Ian was the first person I wanted to meet after our matches. He would exude pride in victory and always a positive and sympathetic word even in the worst and most galling of defeats. He liked Shakespeare's lines - praising what is lost makes the remembrance dear. We shall always remember him. Ian's sporting versatility encompassed even the toughest of sports, boxing. He developed a wonderful partnership with the great Chick Gillen during his stint as AIB Manager in Galway city and he was elected president of the Olympic Boxing Club when the 'Francie Barrett' phenomenon took hold in the 90s. He acted as referee on many occasions in the provinces. He was always likely to question a 'dodgy' decision and I remember an occasion in the National Stadium in the seventies when Ollie Markham contested an Irish Middleweight final against Larry Morrison and was the victim of a terrible decision. A 'Donnybrook' ensued and a chair came flying into the ring from the ringside area and the packed audience suddenly knew that Ian Barrett did not suffer fools lightly. His brother Ned who is a curate in Tralee performed the obsequies and his other brothers Mark, who now resides in Cork and Gerard, who lives in Donegal, did the readings. Ian's sister Joan lives in the USA was unable to make it home for the funeral. Ni bheidh a leithead ariamh. Courtesy of the Clare Champion 13 January 2006 Tweet

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