The Late Michael Cole Down GAA suffered a tremendous loss on Thursday of last week when Mickey Cole collapsed and dies during a Senior Football League match between Ballyholland and Saval. Despite the valiant efforts of locals especially two off duty nurses at the match the popular Mourne man could not be revived and died on the pitch. Mickey had a long and illustrious GAA career in all aspects of the Association as a player in football and hurling, as a referee and as an administrator. Back when Mickey started out there was not the plethora of juvenile competitions that now dominate the club scene. In 1970 he wore the famous black and white stripes of Kilkeel Hurling Club for the first time when winning an U16 Sevens title beating Ballycran in the Final, before that there would only have been games at Sports Days and occasional friendly games in both codes. In 1971 he was on the Lisnacree team which lost the Minor Football League Final to Kilcoo, that disappointment was tempered by success in three prestigious sevens tournaments. In 1972 the team and Mickey wearing Tipperary colours went one better by winning the Minor Football League beating such as Warrenpoint and Clonduff en route to the Title. In 1973 he was playing intermediate football in the old South Down & Mourne League, but Mickey was also a keen hurler and in 1976 he was on the Kilkeel team which won the Down Division Three Hurling League. Mickey played for both Saint Colman's football teams recording double successes in 1978 when the Club won both the Division Four and the Reserve Leagues. An accomplished dual player, in 1979 he was valued a member of the hurling fifteen which beat Portaferry in the Junior Championship final while also being selected Club Senior Footballer of the Year. In the early eighties success on the field for Mickey straddled the demise of Saint Colman's and the birth of An Riocht. In 1981 he won the Intermediate Hurling Championship, also gaining promotion to Hurling's Division One an in 1982 and 1983 was on the An Riocht side that won the first two of five in a row Fr Davies Shields. The curtain came down on Mickey's playing career in 1984 with An Riocht winning the Intermediate Hurling Championship when newspaper reports mentioned his formidable presence as a key contributory factor to the success. He had a great time at the twentieth reunion of that victory hosted by An Riocht in 2004 meeting old team mates and reliving glory days. In the late eighties Mickey took up the whistle, refereeing four or five times a week and quickly building up a reputation for his no nonsense approach which mirrored his won former style of play. A great advocate of fair play for referees Mickey was vocal but measured at the many seminars he attended where he set himself the personal crusade of bettering the status of referees and he also acted as a referees assessor on occasions. On his election as a local Councillor Mickey worked tirelessly for the people of Mourne never shy to tackle a wrong, ever alert to the possibility of improving the lot of the community and always with a big grin on his face. In 2004 Mickey joined the South Down GAA Board committee and from the outset was a willing and able administrator. A year later he was elected Vice Chairman and has held that position until his untimely death, where else but on the GAA field, refereeing a Division One match Courtesy of The Examiner July 8th 2008 The Late Michael Cole There was deep sense of shock throughout the area after the announcement of the sudden death of SDLP councillor Michael Cole on Thursday evening last. Mr Cole was refereeing a league match between Ballyholland and Saval when he collapsed and died almost half way through the game. The 54-year-old father of four from Kilkeel served as mayor of Newry and Mourne District Council, before handing over the chain of office just three weeks ago. His former council colleagues, GAA associates and members of the community have paid tribute to the popular councillor. Sinn Fein councillor Colman Burns, who is Mr Cole's successor as mayor, described his predecessor as a highly popular and well- respected councillor. On a personal basis, I am deeply saddened. I sat beside Michael at council since I entered the council in 2000 and despite being in different political parties, I always say him as a friend. He was a dedicated and hard- working councillor,í he said. Courtesy of the Examiner Tweet

Most Read Stories