The late Dermot Coyne At the end of February, Dermot Coyne from Kiltimagh departed this world for the 'Far Side Banks of Jordan'. Mayo football was an integral part of Dermot's life. He belonged to the 'old school', was passionate about his sport and loved the game that gave him so much enjoyment. Sunday after Sunday, Dermot and his friends hit the road and no journey was too long. They could be found at National League games in all four provinces, supporting the green and red. Francie Maloney and Jarlath Conway, his special travelling companions for many years and Kieran O'Shea put through the phone calls through from Meath! Dermot Coyne was born in Brackloon, Dalgan, Shrule. His father Sean served with the Land Commission and his mother was Aileen O'Neill from Waterfall Post Office near Castletownbere in West Cork. He was the only boy in a family of six. One sister Geraldine predeceased him. Pauline is in Galway, Colette in Tipperary and Maureen and Bernadette reside in New York. Dermot met his wife to be, Bridie Dunleavy from Blindwell, Kilconly at a marquee dance in Foxhall. She was home on holidays from England where she was doing nurse training at the time. Around two years later they were married and they moved to Kiltimagh where they purchased the shop, which at the time was known as Fitzpatricks. In the 1960s, there was an abundance of small shops flourishing in Kiltimagh in the years before we ever joined the EEC (EU). Dermot and Bridie quickly established a rapport with the people of the town and hinterland. Located beside the St Louis Convent school and the local church, Coyne's was the centre of activity at certain times of the day. The kindness and courtesy extended to the young people of the Kiltimagh region by Dermot and Bridie was carried in the hearts of many to lands beyond the sea, and fondly remembered on visits home in the years that were to follow. Though happy and content in the shop in Kiltimagh, Dermot always retained a great love for farming and reared and cared for livestock on his lands in Shrule and Hollymount. In his early years in Kiltimagh, he travelled to numerous fairs with Pat Jordan who became a close and special friend of the family. Later times saw him at the marts in Balla and Ballinrobe and other places. He had a great respect and fondness for animals and could not understand how anyone could ill-treat them. A keen observer of politics and current affairs, Dermot was widely read and could converse with ease on many subjects. He followed national and international news with much interest. A man with a fascination for words and figures, he was an avid viewer of the popular 'Countdown' programme and other 'word' shows on television. Blessed with an innate sense of goodness and kindness, Dermot's rapport with people of all ages was truly remarkable. I recall as a child visiting my aunts Kathleen and Julia in Kiltimagh and 'going across' to Coyne's shop where I first met Dermot and Bridie. Even then, you could sense that special welcome and though later years found me in the Midlands, trips back home and journeys to Kiltimagh invariably meant a call to Coyne's shop and a chat with Dermot. He had a special 'gra' for the people from Cloonmore, Mace and Cuiltybo and neighbouring parts and in later years often spoke with great fondness of the people he knew from that region who took him to their hearts when he arrived in town. All of us know some very special people who touch our hearts and lives in a certain way along life's pathways. And I think I can say without fear of contradiction that Dermot Coyne was truly one of those people who impacted on many of our lives. There was a serene and tranquil quality about Dermot, a gentle aura of goodness and kindness that radiated from his heart. Himself and Bridie were a devoted couple and that love was shared abundantly with their family, Shane and Aoife. About six years ago, Dermot got the first hint of a health problem. He made a fine recovery and enjoyed some good years again until about twelve months back when the problem began to recur again. Bride's nursing qualities ensured the best of care for Dermot in the final months, weeks and days and he slipped gently 'into the gentle night' surrounded by the family. A man of deep and abiding faith, he bore his illness with courage, resignation and a deep sense of peace. Fr Paddy Kilcoyne was truly a very special friend to him over the past few years and many were the wonderful conversations they had about football, current affairs and life in general. Another special friend was Dr Ken Keane. Fr Paddy, in his funeral homily, referred to Dermot's 'great spirit and sense of humour' which never deserved him. He descried Dermot as 'a living husband, a devoted father and a doting grandfather', and a man who was greatly respected in Kiltimagh and wherever he was known. Some days before Dermot died peacefully in his adopted and beloved Kiltimagh, I called to see him. He was as gracious as every and Mayo football was still on his mind. A week earlier, Mayo had defeated Dublin by 1-10 to 0-3 in the National League at Castlebar. "This could be our year," he enthused with the eternal optimism that wells up from the hearts of the faithful when the championship comes around. This summer, Jarlath Conway and Francie Maloney will miss their loyal companion on the championship trails. And what ever roads they may travel down, it will never be the same again as Dermot Coyne was a one-off. Whether following Mayo or the local Kiltimagh team, whom he generously supported down the years, he was the real genuine article. They simply don't come any better. Truly can it be said that Kiltimagh is a poorer place because of the passing of Dermot. To shed a tear for Dermot was the most natural thing in the world for those of us who had the privilege to call him a friend. And, on the weekend that's in it, how Dermot would have relished the journey to McHale Park on Sunday ... and his favourite game of all, the clash of Mayo and Galway in the heat of the Connacht Championship. And sure maybe it could be our year. Our thoughts are with Bridie and Shane and Aoife, in-laws Gretta and Sean, grandson Jack, his sisters, and the extended family. We will never see his likes again. I finish with a quote from Swinbyrne, a poet of yore. "For if, beyond the shadow and the sleep A place there be for souls without a stain, Where peace is perfect, and delight more deep Than seas or skies that change and shine again, There none of all unsullied souls that live May hold a surer station: none may lend More light to hope's or memory's lamp, nor give More joy than thine to those who called thee friend". Courtesy of the Western People June 2004 Tweet

Most Read Stories