Offaly GAA in morning as Dual Legend dies suddenly The Offaly GAA world was in shock with the sudden passing of one of the great figures from the past. Tullamore man, Noel McGee died suddenly in Tullamore Hospital and as news of his passing spread around the town and county like wildfire, the mood was one of shock and sadness. In his early 70s, Noel McGee was one of the best known characters in Tullamore. His barber's shop on William Street was a great meeting place in Tullamore where news and conversation flowed freely - Noel loved nothing better than good conversation and a bit of craic. He was a hugely popular man and was best known for his exploits on the GAA fields. He was a talented footballer and hurler in his youth and represented Offaly in both senior hurling and football. A teak-tough player who knew no fear, he is famous as the first Offaly man to receive a senior trophy in Croke Park: the 1954 O'Byrne Cup for senior football, which was actually played in 1955 - he is the only man to have captained both Offaly senior footballers and hurlers. McGee was also the first man to lift the Dowling Cup for the Offaly Senior Football Championships and he also won Senior Hurling Championship medals with Tullamore. He won senior football medals in 1954, 1956 and 1963 and senior hurling medals in 1955, 1959 and 1964 while he won minor football in 1948 and 1950, when he also won a minor hurling medal. He was a tremendously committed GAA man and long after his playing career ended, he continued to serve club and county with great enthusiasm and dedication. He had an immense love for Tullamore GAA Club and served the club in a variety of capacities as an officer and a mentor. He was involved as a mentor with many successful Tullamore teams. He managed them to Senior Football Championship in 1977 and trained the Tullamore team that won the Junior Football Championship in 1992. McGee also served a couple of stints as an Offaly senior football selector. He served for a spell under Eugene McGee in the late '70s but was no longer involved when Offaly returned to the winners podium in 1980 while he also served for a period under Pat Fitzgeralds in the 1990s. He was chairman of the first Offaly GAA Supporters Club for ten years. He served as Tullamore minor board chairman in the1990s for a spell when asked to do so by former GAA president, then chairman of Tullamore GAA Club and one of his great friends, the late John Dowling. He was a president of Tullamore GAA Club for many years but was not actively involved in club affairs in recent years, even though he continued to sell lotto tickets and support the club - it was no secret that Noel was a strong opponent of the historic decision by Tullamore GAA Club to lease O'Connor Park to the County Board. Despite this, he continued to exercise a strong support for Tullamore. He got great enjoyment from Tullamore's Senior Football Championship success in 2000 and 2002 and anyone who expressed any negative opinion about Tullamore GAA Club could expect a sharp rebuke from Noel. Noel was actually a native of Clara but moved into Tullamore as an infant and always regarded himself as a Tullamore man - he always said he was proud of his Clara roots. He grew up in Emmett Terrace beside O'Connor Park and his love for Gaelic games was fostered from there. He remained a committed GAA supporter right up to his death. Above all else, Noel McGee had a great love for his native town and he was delighted when he was presented with a Hall of Fame ward at the Tullamore Phoenix Festival sports endeavour awards a few years ago. News of Noel's demise came as a great shock to his many friends. He went into hospital just a short few weeks ago when he broke his hip in a fall in his barber shop but he was in good form while recuperating in hospital - and always had a friendly word to his family and many friends who visited him. He continued working until his accident that hospitalised him a few weeks ago. While he had health problems up an down, Noel McGee was generally in good humour and he enjoyed life. He was a sociable character who enjoyed a drink with his many friends. Apart from GAA, Noel also enjoyed a flutter on horses. Sadly, Noel became gravely ill on Tuesday morning and passed away. He was also a great family man, and was heartbroken by some family bereavements in recent year, including the death of his daughter Veronica. Details of Noel's funeral arrangements were not announced at the time of going to press but it is likely to be one of the biggest funerals witnessed in the town - indeed many friends were making arrangements to come home from abroad for the funeral at the time of writing. It was a feature of Noel's life that Offaly and Tullamore exiles in the USA and England invariably made a visit to his barber's shop one of their first port of call when returning home. It is expected that the removal will take place tonight (Wednesday) and the burial will be on Thursday in Clonminch Cemetery. A post mortem was scheduled to be carried out on Tuesday evening. Sincere sympathy is extended to his beloved wife Peggy and daughter, Denise; brother, sisters, other relatives and his many friends. A proud Tullamore man, a proud Offaly man and a proud Irish man, Noel will be sadly missed by all who knew him. Courtesy of the Midland Tribune 8 February 2006 Tweet

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