White, Paddy
July 17, 2012The death has taken place of one of the county's best-known GAA players. The funeral mass took place of Paddy (Boiler) White from Moorefield Drive, Newbridge on Monday, July 9.
The late Mr White passed peacefully in the loving care of the nursing staff of Ryevale Nursing Home, Leixlip. He is survived by his wife Josephine, son David and granddaughter Ciara. He is deeply regretted by his loving daughters Maura and Helen, son-in-law Sean, grandchildren John, Emma, Joanne, Niamh, Aisling, Gary and David, great granddaughter Holly, nephews, nieces, relatives, Family members, neighbours and friends.
Paddy "Boiler" White is grandfather to the current Kildare footballer Gary White and was a member of the Kildare Gaelic football team of the millennium. May he rest in peace.
Courtesy of the Leinster Leader, Tuesday, July 10, 2012.
Passing of Kildare footballing legend
The death has taken place of one of Kildare's footballing legends, Paddy 'Boiler' White.
'Boiler,' as he was affectionately known by all who knew him on and off the field, won a Leinster title with Kildare in 1956 and was named at centre-forward on Kildare's Team of the Millennium. He also played with Leinster.
He won five Kildare Senior Football Championships medals with Sarsfield in 1945, 1947, 1950, 1951 and 1952 and captained the team in 1951.
He was also a selector with Sarsfield and Kildare Senior Football teams following his retirement from playing.
He ran a bookmaking business for many years and was a larger than life, colourful character who will be fondly remembered by many.
'Boiler' was grandfather to Gary White who plays with the current Sarsfield and Kildare Senior Football teams.
He passed away on Friday at Ryevale Nursing Home in Leixlip. He was predeceased by his wife Josephine, son David and granddaughter Ciara and is survived by his daughters Maura and Helen, son-in-law Sean, grandchildren John, Emma, Joanne, Niamh, Aisling, Gary and David, great granddaughter Holly and a wide circle of family and friends.
His remains reposed at his family home at Moorefield Drive before removal on Sunday evening to St. Conleth's Parish Church. His burial took place in St. Conleth's Cemetery in Newbridge after 1pm Mass.
Ar dheis De go raibh a anam.
Courtesy of the Kildare Nationalist, July 10th, 2012.
'He was an absolute gentleman'
Sarsfield and the wider Kildare GAA celebrated the life of Paddy "Boiler" White after his passing the week before last.
Although the passing of any footballing legend like The Boiler is always a sad occasion, family, friends and acquaintances were at least left with the memories of not just a remarkable footballer, but also a remarkable man. A Sarsfields man to the core, Boiler won under-14 and under-16 championships as he worked his way through the ranks at the club before winning minor championships in 1940 and 1941.
That title-laden underage spell was only just setting him up for a glittering senior career. Alongside other Sarsfields legends Tommy O'Hanlon, Con O'Hanlon, Jim Cash, Connie Maher and Bunny Kavanagh, White became the bedrock of one of the greatest clubs sides Kildare has ever seen.
He picked up five senior county titles, including a three-in-a-row in 1950, '51 (as captain) and '52 in a senior playing career that spanned 15 years. Unfortunately, success at inter-county level was to evade him. He hung his playing boots after Sarsfield lost the 1955 county final to Kilcock, just a year before Kildare won a Leinster title.
He might not have got the medals his performances deserved for Kildare but his influence in a white jersey was such that he was voted onto the Kildare Team of the Millennium at centre-forward when the team was announced in 2003.
Another man who was voted onto that Team of the Millennium was Pat Mangan and when he became player/manager of Kildare in 1974, he knew exactly who he wanted as his selector.
"When I became manager I was looking for somebody who was looked up to and who had played at the highest level," said Mangan. "I felt Paddy's experience would be very beneficial in the dressing room and would help to motivate the players to try achieve what he had achieved. It was his wealth of experience that I was trying to tap into. Plus, at the time, he wasn't coming into the set up with any baggage because he hadn't been involved as a selector or anything like it in previous years. He was coming with a fresh view of everything."
The Boiler's reputation around the county and beyond, he also played for Leinster for eight years, meant that he was somebody the players in the dressing room admired.
"He was an absolute legend in Kildare around that time. I can't say I can remember him playing but I knew at the time how much others looked up to him, he was very highly regarded as a player.
"At the time I was player/manager but I was hoping that he would be able to inspire the young team that we had at the time. Unfortunately it didn't work out but he was an absolute gentleman to work with."
The turnout for The Boiler's funeral spoke volumes about the man as GAA figures such as Micheal O Muircheartaigh and former Leinster team mate Kevin Heffernan along with current Kildare manager Kieran McGeeney and a whole host of ex-Kildare players were in attendance.
He was given a guard of honour by Sarsfield and the Kildare County Board as he was taken from St Conleth's Parish Church in Newbridge to his eternal resting place.
White's name will live on in Sarsfields, and indeed Kildare, as grandson Gary carries on the proud footballing tradition in the family and The Boiler's name was also immortalised in Sarsfields folklore when he was the inaugural inductee into the club's Hall of Fame last March.
Ar dheis De go raibh siad.
Courtesy of the Kildare Nationalist, July 17th, 2012.
The late 'Boiler' White, Kildare GAA player
The death occurred last week of Paddy 'Boiler' White, former Sarsfields and Kildare footballer and grandfather of current Sarsfields and Kildare footballer Gary White.
Paddy won five senior championships with Sarsfields; in 1945, 1947, and played on the 1950 to 52 three-in-a-row championship winning teams.
He also played for Kildare, making his debut in a league match against Wicklow in October 1944 before retiring in 1955, a year before Kildare won the Leinster Championship beating Wexford in the final.
After his retirement from football, he became a selector with Sarsfields and also had a spell as a Kildare selector. He was named on the Kildare team of the Millennium.
At the removal, Sarsfields held a Guard of Honour and there was also a Guard of Honour led by Kildare GAA Chairman John McMahon, which included Paddy's team mates from the 1950s Larry McCormack, Ned Treacy, Jim Clarke and his Sarsfields team mate Miko Doyle, who were on the Leinster Championship winning team in 1956.
Paddy was predeceased by his wife Josephine, son David and granddaughter Ciara, and is survived by his daughters Helen and Maura, son-in-law Sean, grandchildren, John, Emma, Niamh, Gary, Aishling, Joanne, David and great granddaughter Holly. Ar dheis De go raibh a hanam.
Courtesy of the Leinster Leader, July 17th, 2012. Tweet
