Morrissey, Tom
October 14, 2010While on a visit from America to his sister's house in Fermoy legendary sportsman, the late Tom Morrissey - boxer handballed, footballer, musician, of note, who died while on his latest trips to his home town which he loved so well.
I was fortunate to have in my possession a copy of a well documented tribute written in May 2007 by local historian an Jim Lysaght.
In his tribute, Jim described the late Tom not alone as one of Fermoy greatest all-round sportsmen, but that he was also one of nature's gentlemen. In his early days, he became a boxer of note by winning a National Junior Championship in 1939 at welterweight, and in doing so he defeated one of the best known names of radio/TV fame, the late Eamonn Andrews RIP.
He had boxing colleagues at the time men like Johnny Jordan, Paddy (Maxie) O'Reilly, Tommy McCarthy (who later moved to Youghal), Martin (Busty) O'Keeffe and his brother Roy. Handball was another passionate sport of his, and in 1948 he partnered the great Billy Walsh of Midleton to win the All-Ireland senior hanball doubles title.
Another great friends of his was Jim Ahern, who is still hale and hearty in the town. On the social side, the late Tom was also a musician of note, and played the trumpet in the Fermoy Confraternity Band, while at the same time he played with his friend Danny Lawrenson's Band at dance halls all over the locality.
Like the other members of his family, Tom possessed a fine voice and in 1944, he made his first appearance with the Fermoy Choral Soceity in a show called "The Maid of the Mountains".
In 1945, he played in the "Belle of New York" while in 1946, he again took part in "The Desert Song" (The first show that I can recall attending). Tom immigrated to America in 1950 where he spent most of his working life, with his late wife Katleen; they travelled a lot and loved to visit Ireland and Fermoy where many of his family still live.
Tom loved to meet his old friends and it was a wonderful act on the part of local handball chief Michael Jordan to have assembled a number of Tom's old friends from his handball days in Fermoy for a bit of a reunion on September 25 last, only a few short days before Tom himself received the call to go upstairs.
Tom will be lovingly remembered by his sister Ellen in St Colman's Park Fermoy, his nephews, nieces, sister-in-law, relatives, neighbours and a host of old friends. His requiem mass was celebrated in St Patrick's Church, Fermoy after which his funeral too place to Kilcrumper new cemetery. Ar Dheis De go raibh a anam dilis.
Courtesy of The Corkman 14/10/10 Tweet
