Brown, Liam
September 15, 2011Four Masters man Liam passed away in the early hours of yesterday morning (Wednesday) in Donegal Town Community Hospital after a short illness, having been moved there earlier in the week from Letterkenny General Hospital.
He had just turned 60 at the end of last month, and had been an active referee right up until he went into hospital just over three weeks ago. His last game was the Division Two League meeting of Killybegs and Kilcar in Fintra, played on the weekend before he went into hospital at the end of August.
He is survived by his wife Mary, nee Shovlin from Ardara and son Marc.
County chairman PJ McGowan, Four Masters chairman Sean Dunnion, and Brian McEniff are among a number of friends as well as former refereeing colleagues who have paid tribute to someone they have all described as a great servant of the GAA.
"Liam was a top class referee and a highly respected official over a long period," PJ McGowan said. "He was one of the pioneers in Donegal refereeing and a great man. He had a very pleasant manner and was a true gentleman. His loss will be sorely missed by the association."
It was a sentiment echoed by Sean Dunnion who said all in the Four Masters club and in Donegal Town were deeply saddened and shocked by the sudden death of one of the club's great stalwarts.
"He served the club well over the last 40 years. He was always so reliable and no task was ever too great for Liam," he said.
"Only a few weeks ago he was the club quiz masters at the County Training Fund Quiz and of course he was a top class referee and for a long time one of the leading referees in the county. We will all sorely miss him and our sympathies go to his wife Mary and son Marc.
Liam also served as Four Masters club secretary for close on ten years in the 1980s.
Brian McEniff said that he knew Liam both as a referee and also as an employee of Magee's in Donegal Town. He said he was very saddened by the news of his death.
"He was a very understanding referee and was never too fond of flashing red cards," Brian said. "He seemed to have a knick for taking the sting out of a potental flash point and was never afraid to have his say after a game if you had a few words with him in the course of the match. He was a good referee and a really sound fella."
Former referees and referees administrators, Mick McGrath and Frankie Doherty also paid tribute to Liam, a man they both described as not only a refereeing colleague but a true friend.
"Myself and Liam started to referee around the same time and as well as refereeing colleagues, we also became very good friends," said Frankie Doherty. "He was a dedicated referee and a great character and he always went out to do the job to the best of his ability and at times, went way beyond the call of duty."
"He was a great referee and a close personal friend," Mick McGrath added. "He was of great assistance and help to me during my career and was my official umpire for all county games for the best part of ten years. I'm very sad to hear of his death."
Liam Brown played for Four Masters in his early years before taking up refereeing. He was also a keen rugby player and played for years with Donegal Town and enjoyed Town Cup success with the club in the 1970s.
He took up refereeing in 1983 and his first game was a junior game between Aodh Ruadh and Ardara in Ballyshannon. He soon rose through the ranks and was the Donegal Referee of the Year in 1991 before going on to referee four county senior football finals - 1993, '94, '97 and '98. His talents were also recognised outside of Donegal and he refereed games in the Ulster minor league and championship and also the Ulster U21 championship and at Dr McKenna cup level.
The high points in his inter-county career were the Ulster Minor Championship final of 1993, the Ulster U21 final of 1994 and the Dr McKenna Cup final of 1997.
He was a former employee of Magee's in Donegal Town where he worked all his life until he retired a number of years ago.
His remains were removed to his home at Clareden Drive, in Donegal Town yesterday afternoon and he will be laid to rest on Friday morning in Clar cemetary after 11 o'clock mass in St Patrick's Church, Donegal Town.
-Courtesy of the Donegal Democrat 15th September 2011 Tweet
