Direen, Pat
February 03, 2011It was with a mixture of shock, disbelief and mind numbing sadness that we heard news of the death of Pat Direen last Wednesday morning.
Pat took ill in the early hours of Wednesday morning and passed away in his house to the rear of his very popular pub in Cloneygowan.
A native of Kilkenny, Pat Direen made an incredible contribution to life in his adopted county. As the long serving Garda in Geashill- He transferred to Geashill from Navan in 1983 and retired in February 2005 - he was an integral part of life in the village and surrounds.
His contribution to Geashill and the wider north Offaly area in general, however went far beyond his work. Quite simply, he was an incredible man - A fantastic family man, a tremendous character, exceptionally hard working, gregarious, a man who dominated whatever company he was in without ever wanting or seek to be the centre of attention.
Just 55 years of age, he made phenomenal contribution to the GAA in Offaly- As a player, administrator and referee.
A native of Killamery, Callan in Kilkenny, he hurled with the Windgap club in his native county. After completing his secondary level education ( He won two All-Ireland B colleges hurling titles with Callan CBS), he joined the Garda Siochana and after passing out, he served in Omeath in Louth- Where he met his wife, Teresa Balbriggan in Dublin and Navan in Meath for five years before making the move to Geashill.
He generally got involved in the local GAA club in his work area- He played with Dundalk in Louth and Navan in Meath, winning an Intermediate Hurling Championship with them in 1979. Indeed a picture of a team with Pat on it still adorns the wall in the Navan O'Mahoney club house adjacent to Paric Tealtean.
In Geashill, he quickly became immersed in life in his new home. A brilliant community man, GAA was his big passion in life, apart from his family and his work and it was only natural that he should get involved in the local Raheen club.
As a Kilkenny man, it was no surprise that he would try and advance hurling in his new club and he succeeded in this to starting effect. Off the field, he was one of the driving forces behind the development and progression of hurling in Raheen while he also served in the club as treasurer for a few years in this period- The club was named for the townsland that straddles Cloneygowan and Geashill villages.
On the field, he was one of their star performers- A very talented hurler with the cuteness to pick off scores and win frees that he might not necessarily be entitled to. Hurling in Raheen took off in the wake of Direen's arrival- There were other people in the area who also helped drive the game on - and in the afterglow of Offaly's first All-Ireland win in 1981. In 1987, they had a year to remember, winning the Junior B Hurling Championship and completing the double with the league. On the field, Pat Direen was instrumental in both wins.
By the end of the '80s, Raheen had taken the momentous decision to amalgamate with their fellow parishioners, Killeigh, competing under the banner of Killeigh/ Raheen.
Pat Direen devoted himself to the new club, devoting countless hours to all aspects of club life. He served them in nearly every capacity Treasurer for the most part but also secretary of the Raheen/Killeigh underage club. He had a passionate interest in the GAA, one that was infectious and he was an excellent administrator- Efficient, conscientious, reliable, hard working and with a seemingly never ending supply of energy and enthusiasm.
During the Killeigh/Raheen amalgamation, one of the major projects they undertook was the development of the pitch and surrounds in Geashill. Pat Direen worked tirelessly at this development, devoting countless hours both in an organisational and an on the ground working capacity.
He was thrilled with their splendid new two storey club house, incorporating dressing rooms and an upstairs meeting/function room which was officially opened by the then chairman of Leinster Council, Albert Fallon in 1955. Pat Direen was at his best when a project was being undertaken and a time scale was enacted and the work he did in this period is still remembered fondly.
Like most amalgamations between clubs, the Killeigh/Raheen union was not always a bed of roses and by the mid to late '90s, it had ran into choppy waters. They were unable to sail through this stormy patch in 2001, the decision was taken at the Emergency General Meeting to break up the club and for Raheen and Killeigh to resume their own identity- Pat Direen was not one of the leaders of the break up at the time but he was still a keen advocate in favour of Raheen going back on their own and he made no secret of his stance on the issue.
By this stage, Pat Direen had decided to take a step back from his involvement at a very active level in the GAA- He had done his time and he didn't owe anyone anything. He did remain a keen supporter of Raheen GAA Club, always willing to support them financially and attending their games- He was particularly delighted when five of his sons played on the Raheen hurling team that repeated his feat of a junior B championship and league double in 2009.
As a referee, he also made a huge impact on Offaly GAA affairs. He refereed both hurling and football games at all levels and unsurprisingly, he particularly excelled at hurling. The highlight of his long refereeing career came in 1995 when he took charge of the Senior Hurling Championship final and replay, where Seir Kieran finally got the better of St Rynagh's after a titanic struggle.
He was a very capable referee and he applied a strict but common sense approach. He was also deeply obliging, helping out several clubs by taking charge of challenge and tournament games, often at short notice.
Throughout his long life in Offaly, he never forgot his native county and he had an all consuming passion for Kilkenny hurling. He loved Offaly and always supported their football and hurling teams but first and foremost he remained a Kilkenny man.
He had a great sense of humour and was always able for the banter that emerged on the several occasions when Offaly beat Kilkenny in the 1980s and 1990s. He was well able to give it when the shoe was on he other foot and he took great pleasure when Kilkenny beat his adopted county- Pat never made any bones about where his allegiance lay; He was a Kilkenny man first, an Offaly man second and it was only fitting that he was displayed in his coffin wearing one of the Kilkenny tops that he sported with such pride down the years.
He was always a proud man when Kilkenny won All-Ireland titles and the trip there on the Mondays after an All-Ireland win became a pilgrimage for him- Generally trying to bring a 'victim' or two with him. He reveled in the splendour of the Kilkenny team of recent years and basked in the glory of their four in a row success- He shed tears of joy after they completed their four in a row in 2009 and he handled his disappointment like a man when their five in a row ambitions were shattered by Tipperary last year. He always met his brother, Ger at big Kilkenny matches in Croke Park and he loved those days out.
The GAA was just one aspect of his life. He was a keen golfer. A member of Portarlington Golf Club for years, he enjoyed the game and the outings from the local Geashill Golf Society. He was also a keen squash player.
In work, he was an old fashioned garda, liasing closely with all sectors of the community in the area he covered- He was known far and wide and knew people in every nook and cranny in north Offaly. This meant that he had a huge network of contacts and he was adept at solving crime- This was illustrated, even after his retirement when people continued to contact him with information and news. He was very helpful garda and he never had a problem working off duty or changing his hours to fit in with local events that required traffic management or the presence of a garda.
He was a remarkably hard working man and apart from his day job as a garda and later as a publican, he had a number of other irons in the fire down the years. he cut grass and did gardening work for people, he cleaned chimneys and carpets, he built a number of houses and sold them on , he sold Christmas trees at the festive time of year, including 2010.
His eldest son, Eamon likened him to 'Del Boy' in Only Fools and Horses in a very moving eulogy at his funeral Mass and this was a very apt comparison. He was never shy about undertaking new enterprises if he thought there was a chance to make money and he was involved in different ventures down the years. As Eamon quipped, he would try and 'sell snow to the eskimos'.
Pat's motives for making money were sincere and he and Teresa had a large family of twelve children. Their interests and welfare were always at the forefront of his thoughts and it is a tribute to them that their chidren never wanted for anything. Above all else, Pat Direen was a real family man.
He was loyal and devoted to his wife and children, he loved them deeply and their anguish at his premature departure was plan for all to see at his funeral.
After retiring from the Gardai in 2005, Pat achieved another of his ambitions when he brought a pub in Cloneygowan, christening it " The Caman Inn". He worked at this with his typical zeal, devoting huge time to it and it was not a surprise that he developed a very successful business.
Another aspect of Pat's life was his sociability. He enjoyed a pint and he got pleasure from the pub scene. He was hugely popular where ever he went and he socialised down the years in Geashill, Cloneygowan, Daingean, Ballinagar, Portarlington, Killeigh, Walsh Island and Ballycommon as well as Tullamore. He was a tremendous character and he loved banter, a bit of slagging and good conversation- He was able to both take it and give it.
The MBTW soldiered with Pat a fair bit down the years and days out with Pat and two of his great friends, Martin Boland and the late Tom Bracken were always something to savour and enjoy. There was a hardcore of us who travelled to big matches in Croke Park and other locations by train and bus down the years and the camaraderie and chat helped form very solid friendships- There are an abundance of fond memories and stories from those many trips and they will last a life time for the individuals involved. And Pat was always very much the life and soul of the party. He was a brilliant story teller and with Pat, it was always in the way he told them.
He will be sadly missed by all who knew him and evidence of his popularity was provided by the massive crowd at his funeral in Raheen on Saturday. The church hadn't a hope of holding the crowd, there were people present from all over Offaly, with particularly large representations from the GAA and An Garda Siochana.
He is survived by his wife Teresa; sons Eamon, Padraig, Ciaran, Fionan, Killian, Eanna and Christopher; daughters Teresa, Nicky, Niamh, Caoimhe, Riona; Brothers, Gerard and Aubrey and sister, Joe.
Our thoughts are with you at this difficult time but rest assured that Pat's contribution to life will be remembered for many years to come. He was much loved and will be sadly missed. May he rest in peace.
Courtesy of the Tribune
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