The Late Bobby Bauress A minutes silence was held in a footballing tribute to a Celbridge resident before the Connaught senior football championship final between Sligo and Galway on 8 July. The gesture was in recognition of the life and footballing qualities of the late Bobby Bauress, who lived in Beatty Park in Celbridge and passed away at Blanchardstown hospital on 4 July, at the age of 91. Bobby was an outstanding defender on the Sligo team in the 1940's - a period which coincided in Roscommon winning two All Ireland football finals in 1943 and 1944. Born in Dublin in 1915, he worked in Sligo as a driver for the then Bishop of Elphin, Dr. Edward Doorly, and played for Sligo as a right corner back on the Sligo team which drew with the All Ireland champions, Roscommon, in Boyle in the 1944 Connaught semi-final, losing the replay. Although he played mostly in defence, he was left corner forward on his one outing on the Connaught team which lost to Leinster in the Railway Cup final in Croke Park on 9 March, 1947, 3-7 to 1-7. While he did not play for the Roscommon county side, he played club football for one of its top teams, Elphin, where team mates included Donal Keenan and Jimmy Murray. He was in three county championship finals with Elphin, including a winning one in 1937. He donned the jersey of Croabh Rua in Sligo in the 1940's and was part of the club's 1943 county championship winning side. Bobby lived in Cornwall, England for much of his working life but moved to Celbridge after retirement. His late wife, Linda, died over eight years ago. After much good care by friends and neighbours in Celbridge and by staff in the Blanchardstown hospital, he died on 4 July, just days before a long awaited Connaught championship win by Sligo. A relation of Leinster Leader journalist, Henry Bauress (Henry's great grandfather was Bobby's father) Bobby, is survived by one son, Liam, a teacher in London. Bobby was laid to rest in Sligo on 7 July. Courtesy of the Leinster Leader July 2007 Tweet

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