Ahern, John Francis
January 08, 2014He will be remembered forever for his key part in the stunning three-in-a-row Beale GAA clinched in the North Kerry Senior Football Championship between 1977 and 1979 under his chairmanship. He was a cornerstone of the club as one of its main drivers since the 1940s, taking it through a number of guises until it was renamed as Beale GAA in the 1970s at the outset of a golden era for football in the community and county. It was his vision in the development of the club that ultimately gave The Bomber Liston and Ogie Moran the opportunity to develop their extraordinary talents to the degree they did.
He was also chairman of Shannon Rangers when they last won the Senior Football County Championship in 1977 in another great achievement of his sporting life.
"With my father, Bernie, as trainer they brought Beale to three North Kerry Championship titles in a row in the late '70s and two-in-a-row in the early '80s in a record that still stands today," nephew Kevin O'Callaghan said this week. "He was known simply as John Francie by everyone and he really was a larger than life figure in GAA and horse-racing circles.
"He lived and breathed horse-racing, always at the Listowel Races and even travelling to Cheltenham at the age of 86 after visiting his sister-in-law in Australia," Mr O'Callaghan said.
Born in Ballyline, Ballylongford, Mr Ahern settled on the family farm at Bealae Hill with his late wife Joan (nee McElligott) where they reared their children. He was devoted to his family as cousin Nancy McAuliffe remarked upon in a moving eulogy at his funeral mass in Ballylongford on Monday morning.
"He was just such fun to be around and part of his gift was that he never discriminated between people, he mixed with everyone and was widely loved. John Francie was always full of craic and had fun with everyone. It really is the end of an era in Beale where he was one of the last of his generation," Mr O'Callaghan said.
The Kerryman, 8th January 2014 Tweet
