Tribute to James O'Kane

James O'Kane was too young. Far too young. Two months after his 40th birthday, cancer got the better of a revered son of Banagher, of Derry hurling, of St. Patrick's Maghera, of City of Derry rugby club in the early hours of Friday morning.

There was no surrender. Not only was he adamant that he would beat it from his diagnosis in July, but he had his eyes set on an Ironman event in 2014. Alas, it was not to be. The disease finally beat him at 5.30am on Friday, as he passed away peacefully in his sleep.

A loving husband "to Lorraine, a father of three, daughter Jemma and young sons Padraig and Sean, a son to Patsy and Rosemary, a brother to Martin, Richard, Dennis, Peter, Philip and Monica, James O'Kane was the last man you would have expected to be ill.

A man who ran the London Marathon just a few years ago, a man who cycled everywhere, who played hurling and football for his club, rugby for City of Derry, and went on to manage several teams with the passion that embodied him in every facet of life.

James O'Kane may only have gotten 40 years, but he lived each and every day of them. He immersed himself in life, and his zest for it rubbed off on those around him.

The county woke to the news on Friday and it wasn't long before the outpouring of sadness began. Students that he had taught, even ones he hadn't, at St. Patrick's Maghera took to social networking sites to pay tribute, the way they do now.

The halls were quiet on Friday. A few reflective assemblies amidst preparations for his funeral, which took place to a huge crowd in Dungiven on Sunday. St. Pat's was sombre, sad, lost of the life and passion that James O'Kane brought to his work as a French teacher.

There hadn't been many Mageean Cups through the doors of St. Pat's before Mr O'Kane took on the mantle of restoring a reputation in the small ball game that eventually burgeoned beyond the school's football success through the 2000s.

He guided them to their first Ulster in eight years in the first winter of the new millennium, taking them to a Mageean in 2001, the same year in which they won the historic 'Tiger Slam', which saw them end the year with all five Colleges hurling titles in the school.

In his final year, Kevin Hinphey played under O'Kane and won a first Ulster crown. He would play under him again in 2010, when he took on the Derry senior manager's job, backed by the reputation he had forged at school.

"I first got to know James in my final year at Maghera school," said Hinphey.

"James took charge of the Mageean team and led the school to its first win in the competition for many years. In the following few seasons he led the school to an un-precedented era of success at this level.

"This all came on the back of James' energy, passion and enthusiasm which he passed on to all the young hurlers who had the fortune to work with him.

"I have been talking to many of the lads who were members of those teams recently about James and they all continue to hold him in the highest regard and were all devastated at the news of his illness.

"Every summer James would volunteer as a coach at the Kevin Lynch summer camp where his young sons would be in attendance, he proved equally as popular with the young children there as he did with the teenagers in Maghera. I am proud to say I knew him and to have had him as a coach and above all as a friend," he said.

Between that 2001 success and 2006, there were four further provincial titles, a run broken only by St. Mary's Belfast in 2003/04. There were near misses in the All Ireland series, including a final that was controversially lost.

They still talk about the ball that came in through the hole in the net and was given as a goal. But eventually, in the spring of 2006, they became the first Ulster team in 32 years to win the All-Ireland Colleges 'B' title.

Those were heady days. As supporters, we travelled to Mullingar for the semi-final to see them past heavily-fancied Tipperary champions Borrisoleigh. Maghera simply weren't losing that day.

A few weeks later, it was Navan, and it was history. James prowled the line as 2-2 from Oisin McCloskey, 1-1 from his namesake Patrick, 0-4 from Paddy Henry, 0-3 from Kevin O'Neill and two points from Dermot McNicholl saw off the challenge of a Bagenalstown outfit that has gone on to produce many of Carlow's resurgent senior crop. 3-12 to 1-12 read the scoreboard and Sam Dodds historically annexed the trophy.

It was not only a fillip for Maghera hurling, for Derry hurling, but it left an indelible impression on the young lads who were part of that occasion. Many of them went on
to play for Derry, many of them under James, while others' hurling careers stifled but not without a memory that would be unsurpassable in any respect.

His character, his nature, is what the players remember. That he used to wear his lucky jersey to matches, and that he used to go down the bus and make them all touch it. That he was more of a friend than a teacher.

"I remember even the first day at training," recalls Gareth Haskins, goalkeeper on the All-Ireland winning team. He had come from St. Colm's Draperstown in lower sixth and was one of a large influx of players from other schools who joined the hurling squad.

"A pile of us had just joined the school in lower sixth but he made you feel part of it straight away, there was never any division. You were just part of the team and that was it.
"Those two years would be high up in the memories of our time at school, winning those two Ulsters and the All-Ireland then in '06. They were great times.

"He had such a belief in his teams and himself. It didn't matter who were going to play, it didn't matter that we were a crowd of boys from Derry going to play boys from Galway, he believed that we would win no matter what. He was a pleasure to play for," said Hasianesi

James lost most of the team the following year but still reached a Mageean final, where they led until injury time. But Cross & Passion's Tony McCloskey popped up to net in a thrilling finale and strip Maghera of their Ulster and All-Ireland titles.

Thereafter, James took a seat further back, though not away from it. He was still an advisor in 2011 when, under Paul Hughes, the school repeated the feat.

In between, he took on the Banagher job in 2007, managing both the seniors and Under-21s, the latter of whom he took to a county title. The Swatragh senior camogs were also a stepping stone to his progression to the Derry senior job in 2010. The respect he commanded was evident in the early days as many who
had drifted from the scene returned. Back came his own brother Peter, along with former captain Emmett McKeever, his younger brother Cathal, and Ballinascreen duo Cathal Brunton and Sean McBride.

The season ended with a disappointing Ulster championship exit to London. He took the job on for a second year but was forced to leave the role early in 2011. "I also had the pleasure of slaying under James with Derry during his time in Charge of the senior hurlers," said Kevin Hinphey.

"Again his enthusiasm and charisma helped infuse the scene and although we had no success in terms of silverware it stands out as one of my most enjoyable times playing for the county," he said. Hurling was in his blood, a conversation that Derry county chairman John Keenan recalls with James earner this year was the measure not only of the man, of his willingness to help others, but also of his determination to survive his illness.

"I rang James earlier this year unaware that he was going through a course of treatment for his serious illness to ask if he would consider managing our county minor hurling team. Of course he was delighted to be asked and I have to say he took great enjoyment of my embarrassment at what I had asked of him when he explained to me that he was literally in the cancer unit receiving treatment at Altnagelvin Hospital as we spoke.

"Such was the character of the man he said that when his treatment would finish, he would certainly help out coaching the lads. I know he was looking forward to this so much and I have to say the feeling was mutual. Not every day you meet a person like James O'Kane. May he rest in peace," said Keenan.

"There is only one way I would describe James 0 Kane - an absolute gentleman. A privilege to have known and a treat to work with, we, the Gaels of this county, have lost an honest friend, a person of great charisma and an exceptional coach," said the Oak Leaf chairman.

Every summer, he would be out to give a hand with the hurling summer camps at both his native Banagher and also Kevin Lynch's, where his two young sons, Padraig and Sean played. In spite of living in Dungiven, he was Banagher through and through.

James O'Kane leaves a legacy to his club that few would be aware of. Forever on their shirts will be the crest that he designed, complete with the inscription 'Ni neart go Misneach.' Or in English, 'No strength like courage.'

At his funeral on Sunday afternoon, attended by a huge crowd, his brother Peter read out a poem that James had written when he was studying in France aged 20. The last line was 'No strength like courage.' That he had in abundance.

James was intrinsic 10 Banagher. Everything he did, he put 100 per cent into it. If he couldn't give the commitment, he wouldn't do it. "It's unbelievable. It's very hard to associate James with death, because he was the most positive person, always full of life," said Banagher club secretary Breige O'Neill.

Even in January this year James' new-found passion for painting led him to produce a piece of art that now hangs in the club. It's a picturesque image of the view from the club. "It will be greatly treasured by us all," said Breige.

To look at James, he wouldn't have struck you as a rugby player, but he spent the most part of a decade donning the green and black of City of Derry, where he played mostly for the seconds. Three weeks before he died, some of his former team-mates visited him in Altnagelvin. Another club which will remember him fondly.

"He didn't want to go. He was going to fight this thing to the end, but unfortunately it got him. But he was the sort of man, he didn't want to impose his grief or sadness on anyone. He always said he would beat it," said Moss Dineen, current vice-chairman of the club. Moss knew James well, and indeed last year came calling when there were All-Ireland hurling tickets to be had.

"He was always a very reliable and generous person. City of Derry Rugby Club offers its deepest condolences to James' wife and family. He will always be remembered at City of Derry. He will never be forgotten," said Dineen.

On the wider scale, James O'Kane the hurling manager will be fondly remembered, but James O'Kane the man even more so.

His former pupil, former goalkeeper, Gareth Haskins summed it up best: "James will be sadly missed, at school and in the county. Not just in hurling terms, but as a friend, someone you could chat to and have a laugh with."

Courtesy of The Derry Post Tweet

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