An inspiration for St. Farnan's over thirty years At the end of their victory over Drumcliffe/Rosses Point at Quigabar which ensured qualification for the knock out stages of the county senior championships, the entire St. Farnan's team, mentors and backroom staff went to the end of the pitch at the Enniscrone venue to applaud Tommy Scott. It was an emotional, moving tribute and indicative of the respect in which one of the club's greatest servants was held by all. Despite his illness, Tommy was present to see St. Farnan's earn their second group win to progress to the latter stages of the competition and he was immensely proud of the achievement. Tommy (61), who passed away recently, was the inspiration behind a generation of St. Farnan's footballers over the past thirty years. Tommy had also been involved in Community Games and the development of the local Community Park. A farmer and builder originally from Grangebeg and living in Aughris, he may not have played a lot of football, but he came to prominence in the mid 1970s through his local National School at Kilrusheighter. He was involved in the annual sports committee and from there a long line of good footballers evolved to become the nucleus of some great St. Farnan's underage teams. Tommy, of course, also introduced his three sons, Delcan, Adrian and Tomas to football at an early age and they all enjoyed successful careers. His grandchildren are also playing football at underage level. Tommy's input became more pronounced in the 1980s and he was to the forefront of the club's underage structure. He managed teams from under 12 up to under 21 during this period. Off the field, he was a tremendous fundraiser and worked voluntarily in the true spirit of the GAA on the St. Farnan's clubhouse and pitch. St. Farnan's had a very strong Bord na nOg set up in the 80s and Tommy would have been one of the main driving forces behind it, acting as Treasurer for a number of years and working with a number of others to ensure that the finances of this sector of the club were particularly healthy. One of the highlights of his time with the underage sides came in 1984 when St. Farnan's got to the under 14 county final at a time before grading was introduced. They were beaten by a point by a strong Shamrock Gaels side, but it was nevertheless a huge achievement for a small club from west Sligo. In 1985, St. Farnan's won the under 15 seven a side Og Sport competition for the second time. Tommy was a selector on the intermediate team in 1989 when, for the first time ever, St. Farnan's got to an intermediate championship final, where they were beaten by Coolera in Easkey. Between 1989 and 2001 he would have been involved in various team managements, the intermediate side as recently as 2005 as the St. Farnan's fortunes began to turn upwards. They won the intermediate championship last year with a victory over St. Michael's, Tommy's son Tomas a selector. This was another proud day as senior status was secured for the first time. Tommy was also delighted when Sligo won the Nestor Cup in Hyde Park last summer. He came out of hospital to attend the St. Farnan's annual dinner dance in the Diamond Coast Hotel, Enniscrone, in January last and enjoyed the occasion thoroughly. At his funeral, members of the St. Farnan's club carried his coffin and formed a guard of honour while Chairman Gerry Healy read a special tribute. Tommy is survived by his wife Patsy, daughter Denise, sons Declan, Adrian and Tomas, grandchildren Aine, Shane, James, Conor, Jade, Emma and Maura, brothers Paddy Joe, Noel and Billy, sisters Maureen and Margaret, an extended family and a wide circle of friends. The Sligo Champion 23/7/08 Tweet

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