The community around Knock and Kiltimagh awoke to the sad news of the sudden death of Sean Burke, brother of former Mayo goalie Peter Burke, in London on Sunday afternoon. Sean was out cycling with some friends when he took ill and died suddenly.
The 30 year old accountant had been living in London for a number of years. He was one of a family of five born to Tom and Ann (nee Lavin) Burke, Cloondace, Knock. A past pupil of Knock NS and St Louis Secondary School, he later graduated from UCD.
Sean was an accomplished footballer in his young years and played midfield on the Mayo U16 team in the Ted Webb Cup series. He later played on the Kiltimagh first team. His brother Peter was the Mayo senior goalie at the time, maintaining a strong family and Kiltimagh tradition as their uncle Eugene Lavin (now a member of Mayo County Council) served as county goalie for several years in the late 1970s and 80s.
A knee injury kept Sean out of football in later years and he took up cycling which became his main recreational activity. A regular visitor to Mayo, Sean always enjoyed his visits back home to family and his many friends in the Knock and Kiltimagh areas. The sad news has stunned the community where the Burke family are held in the highest regard. A constant stream of people called to the family home throughout the day and late into the night to offer condolences to Tom and Ann and family on their devastating news.
Sean is also survived by his brothers Peter (Knock) and Seamus (USA), sisters Elaine (Gill) in Knock and Caroline who is a nurse in London, his partner Anna-Louise Costello from Kiltimagh (the well known soprano with whom he shared the stage in school musicals in St Louis, Kiltimagh, uncles, aunts, relatives and many friends. Funeral arrangements will be announced later in the week.

Mayo News, 2nd July 2013 Tweet

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