Legendary sportsman passes away

The death took place last week in England of Mr. Máirtín Kelly, Bushey, Hertfordshire and formally Polredmond, Williamstown.

He had a hugely successful career in sport, in particular Gaelic football and track and field athletics. As Williamstown's outstanding minor footballer in 1952, he was brought into the county minor team at a late stage, at a time when smaller clubs found it difficult to get recognition. In the event, he proved to be one of the outstanding members of that Galway team, the winners of the All-Ireland title that year. He is, therefore, one of a small number from the club to hold an All-Ireland title that year. Máirtín soon made his way onto the county senior panel and played a number of games at this level.

He suffered an injury in 1956, and thus lost out on an All-Ireland senior medal. There were two main reasons why his career as a Gaelic footballer didn't reach the heights his talent deserved. Firstly, he suffered a number of serious injuries and secondly, football always played second fiddle to his first love in sport, track and field athletics. In this, he had an outstanding career, winning numerous titles and breaking countless records in the discus, javelin and shot putt, at university and later, national level. He would have been a certainty for the Irish Olympic Team for Tokyo in 1964 until another cruel injury robbed him of that distinction. When he moved to England to continue his business career, he continued with his Athletics and won many titles and broke several records there also. He continued with his sporting activities for many years, branching into several other sports, including squash and tennis, at which time he represented Ireland in the mature age groups on several occasions.

He was given the Hall of Fame Award by Williamstown GAA Club as recently as this year and with his wife Clare, travelled home to receive the award at out Annual Dinner in February. In recent times also, he has been a generous benefactor of our GAA Club and the lovely new stand in the local sportsfield is named after him. Again, though in failing health, he travelled home in May with Clare for the official opening of the stand and did the duties himself before addressing the crowds several of whom he met in the clubhouses afterwards. Having won a scholarship to Coláiste Einde, Galway, an all- Irish school, as a young boy, he became a fluent Irish speaker and retained his great love for the Irish language. Though his years in England resulted in his forgetting much of what he had earned of his native tongue, he went to the trouble of learning it all over again and became a fluent speaker once more. Máirtín was equally successful in his career in business and commerce, reaching the highest positions with a number of major international companies.

Though he always kept in touch, the major reconnecting, which he made with his native parish in the last couple of years, meant so much to him. He was hugely impressed with the excellent playing pitch and outstanding facilities at the local GAA Grounds, with the great success of the club on the field of play and with the efficient manner in which the club is being ran. With the passing of this gentle giant, all in the GAA club and all in the community extend sincere sympathy to his wife, Clare, daughters Fiona and Siobhan, relatives and friends. Burial in Kildaree later. Ar Dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal.

(Text courtesy of Roscommon Herald 09/10/12) Tweet

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