Burke, Johnny
May 19, 2011The passing of Johnny Burke just before Christmas 2010 left a huge void in the wider circles of the GAA in Derry. Few people cans boast of over sixty years of constant involvement in club and county affairs.
Johnny was a man of great integrity and modesty, from his school days at CBS Derry back in the forties he took a keen interest in the native tongue in which he became fluent and helped to spread the gospel far and wide.
After attending Irish weekends in Donegal, he soon set about having similar events in Cumber House, the magnificent 22 room mansion that he helped to purchase for the Claudy club in the early seventies.
From there sprang branches in various parts of Derry, Antrim and Tyrone and Johnny became a familiar figure throughout the province.
Johnny had a wide view of the GAA and Ceili dancing was another of his passions which he also helped to promote far and wide.
In 1993, his wife Rosaleen a member of the well known Dungiven O'Kane family, passed away and at that time, he was becoming heavily involved in the purchase and development of Owenbeg the first custom built GAA training centre for county teams in the country.
As a fund raiser he had few peers, his innovation saw new ideas come up regularly from car bingo to a limited £100 ticket draw. He had a passion for card playing and was an expert at running Poker Classics but he loved his game of 25 or 45 in his friend Liam Peoples' pub in the village. Going to the pub did not bother Johnny even though he was a lifelong Pioneer.
He was no mean footballer either, playing for his county in the early fifties and winning an Ulster Junior medal with Derry. He played with his club Claudy from the forties to the sixties.
His vision and leadership saw him at the forefront when the Claudy club purchased Cumber House and some twenty acres of adjoining land which was a massive achievement for an Intermediate club at that time.
However, amid all his notable achievements the one that will always stand out was his involvement in the purchase and development of Owenbeg. It was ironic that the decision to purchase was made at Colm O'Kane's house in a snowstorm. Eighteen years later as he was laid to rest in his native Claudy the village and the surrounding hills were white with snow.
Johnny acted as both Chairman and Treasurer during the Owenbeg development. That hard working committee had a number of strong willed individuals on board and many a time the chairman had to thump the table to get order but nobody dared cross him. Beneath the easy going exterior was a man of steel. It was typical of the man that when Owenbeg was complete and the old committee standing down Johnny suggested a night out together for the last time with every man playing for himself!
He was totally unselfish, witty, generous and intelligent. He was a man apart and spent a lifetime in the pursuit and excellence of all things Irish. We may never see the like of him again!
Courtesy of the Ulster Council Programme
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