The Late Dympna Burke Just around this time last year - a little earlier in May Dympna Burke's family and circle of friends arranged a surprise 60th birthday bash in the Saccre Coeur Hotel to honour and salute the former Dunmore woman, who ran such a successful dressmaking and interior design business from her well known home in Dominick Street, Galway. They travelled from far and near for that rather unique weekend of tribute, from all over Ireland, the USA where she was domiciled for some time in the 60's and from across the Irish Sea. it was hard to dupe Dympna because she'd anticipate anything but this once she was gobsmacked when she walked into the hotel to a huge ovation. There were many tributes to her that night. After a lifetime of involvement with Galway football myself I described her then as Galway's greatest ever follower. I do so again in this tribute after her untimely death last Friday morning which shocked her large circle of friends. Dympna was very special person. A hard worker, she enjoyed work and leisure and had many interests outside work. Gaelic football and the maroon and white were numero uno. Close if not equal was her native Dunmore ( the MacHales) and the green and white. Music was another passion and she adored the Sawdoctors from Tuam and travelled around the world to their live concerts. Dympna was a gifted fundraiser too and was in her element organising function for the Galway Supporters Club at All Ireland times. The shop she ran selling all kinds of maroon and white memorabilia; jerseys, flags, hats etc. netted thousands of euro for training over the years. How she kept going at so many levels around big games often puzzled me but when the big days came, she was off early, often organising a nice repast for special friends from the boot of her car on the big days. I remember one such great occasion behind the Bush Hotel in Carrick-on-Shannon in 1998 both before and after our game with Leitrim. She prepared a special drink - a concoction she called a "fluffy duck". That day too along came Johnny Curley the fruit distributor and a few punnets of strawberries added to the day's enjoyment. That was Dympna; organised, generous, outgoing and loyal. She enjoyed making people happy but was always in good time for the games, be it minor, under-21, junior or senior. The games and the players mattered most of all. And if Galway won, her smile told it all. Galway have been going well since 1998 and have a large band of supporters now. But it wasn't always that way. There were days when very few travelled but you could count on Dympna to be always present. As a teenager in the '50s she followed our team of '56. That interest grew even greater when the 3-in-a-row squad visited the USA twice in the '60's. Dympna returned to set up business in Galway in 1966 and the interest in the maroon and white blossomed from there on. At her funeral last weekend al strands of Galway football came together to pay their respects to their greatest fan. The present team were there in force. Men like Bertie Coleman, Seán Purcell, Jimmy Duggan, Ray Silke, Gary Fahey, John Tobin, Enda Colleran, Mattie McDonagh, Coleen McDonagh, Jack Cosgrove, Seamus Leyden and the Donnellans of Dunmore. I would go on and on. The Sawdoctors sang at her Mass celebrated by Fr. John Leyden, brother of Seamus who was there too with the Keenan lads. And Dumore's lovely choir did the occasion proud. Dympna was then laid to rest in the family grave in the Dunmore she loved. Galway football has lost a great friend. On behalf of all strands of Galway football, I sympathise with her family all of whom I grew up with and Dympna's wider circle of friends, who, too will miss her great kindness and the indomitable spirit which helped her in her last fight against illness. She fought the good fight to stay alive for the win over Roscommon. After that she just slipped away to her eternal reward. It was great to know you Dympna and Galway football will never forget you. "It's Maroon and White Forever No Matter where we go!" Ar dheis láimh Dé go raibh d'anam uasal. Courtesy of the Connacht Tribune By Jack Mahon Galway Football Board PRO Tweet

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