Tributes pour in as Sligo GAA mourns death of 'father figure' The GAA in Sligo is mourning the loss of its 'father figure', Mr. Paddy Clifford, who died suddenly at his home. Mr. Clifford, who was 89 years, was President and a former Chairman of Sligo County Board and had served on the GAA's Central Council and Management Committee at national level. A well-known and highly respected businessman, he founded Clifford Electrical, one of the longest established electrical wholesalers in Ireland, in 1972. The company has been the main sponsor of Sligo GAA since 1992. The late Mr. Clifford was Chairman of the County Board for six successive years, from 1973 to 1978, and it was during this time that the county senior team enjoyed one of its greatest ever periods, winning Connacht Championship for only the second time in the county's history in 1975. Mr. Clifford was one of three selectors on the management team of the 1975 squad and was regarded as a highly influential figure in masterminding the big breakthrough which culminated with Sligo's memorable win over Mayo in the replay of the Connacht Final at McHale Park. Another significant highlight of Mr. Clifford's reign as Chairman was the hosting by Sligo of the annual GAA Congress in Summerhill College in 1974. After completing his term as Chairman of the County Board, Mr. Clifford served as Sligo's delegate on Central Council from 1980 to 1983 and was a member of the GAA Management Committee in Croke Park during those years. He as also a member of the Markievicz Park Committee for many years and was one of the driving forces behind the development plan which is now coming to fruition and which will transform the Park into one of the finest GAA venues on the Province. Mr. Clifford and his family were also closely associated with St Mary's GAA Club and he took great pride in the club's emergence as one of the most progressive units in the county. Mr. Clifford was born in Geevagh but the family moved to Collooney when he was just a couple of weeks old. He was a highly talented footballer in his youth and attended St. Nathy's College, Ballaghafereen, where the late Peter Laffey, who won an All-Ireland medal with Mayo and whose son, Michael, played on the Sligo 1975 team, was among his classmates. He played minor football with Sligo in 1934 and was a regular midfielder on the Sligo senior team form 1937 to 1943. He played Railway Cup football for Connacht in 1941. Although business took him away from his native county for many years, he never lost his love of Sligo or Gaelic Games and quickly became immersed in GAA activity when he returned to the county in the early 1970s. He worked in the electrical industry since 1947. In the late 1960s, he worked for AET, then GEC, and was appointed manager of the company's new Sligo branch in 1968. Three years after returning to Sligo with his young family, GEC branches were closed and it was then that he decided to open his own business as an electrical wholesaler at Harmony Hill in 1972. Clifford Electrical quickly became established as one of the leading wholesalers in IReland, serving Sligo and the surrounding counties of Donegal, Leitrim, Cavan and Mayo. In recent years, the company opened a showcase new premises at Carraroe. The Clifford family had been synonymous with Sligo GAA for over seventy years, stretching back to the late Mr. Clifford's own playing days and continuing to the present time through Clifford Electrical's sponsorship and the active involvement in the Association by Mr. Clifford's sons, Pat and John. Pat is a prominent member of the Markievicz Park committee while John is currently Development Officer with the County Board and a former Chairman of St. Mary's GAA club. As tributes poured in for the late Mr. Clifford this week, County Board Secretary, Mr Tommie Kilcoyne, described his passing as a huge loss to the GAA in the county. "Paddy was the father-figure of the GAA in Sligo", said Mr. Kilcoyne. "He was a dynamic personality who made a magnificent contribution to the GAA, as player, administrator and sponsor" Mr. Kilcoyne said the late Mr.Clifford was an enlightened Chairman of the County Board and had also served with distinction on the GAA Central Council and the Management Committee of the GAA. He said he played a crucial role in Sligo's historic success in the Connacht Championship in 1975, serving as one of three selectors to the management team. "He was very much a 'hand on' Chairman and was one of the masterminds of that great campaign in 1975," said Mr. Kilcoyne. Paying tribute to Mr. Clifford's generous support of the GAA in the county, Mr. Kilcoyne pointed out that Clifford Electrical came on board as Sligo's sponsors in 1992 when the county was at a low ebb and the whole idea of team sponsorship was still in its infancy in the country. "He was ahead of his time in that regard but that was typical of the sort of progressive person he was," said Mr. Kilcoyne. The esteem in which the late Mr. Clifford was held was reflected by the massive turnout at the removal of his remains from Feehily's Funeral Home to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Sunday evening and again at the Funeral Mass on Monday. Internment took place at Rosses Point cemetery. Members of the GAA County Board and St. Mary's GAA club formed a guard of honour at the removal of Mr. Clifford's remains on Sunday. Sligo County Council and Sligo Borough Council paid tribute to Mr. Clifford at their monthly meetings on Monday. Mayor, Clr. Rosaleen O'Grady, proposed a vote of sympathy to the Clifford family at the Borough Council meeting, highlighting Mr. Clifford's 'huge service' to the GAA and Sligo generally. Seconding the proposal, Clr. Tony McLoughlin recalled that the late Mr. Clifford had spearheaded many projects for the benefits of the county and that he had been a major sponsor of the GAA at a time when such support was hard to obtain. At the County Council meeting, a vote of sympathy was proposed by Clr. Margaret Gormley. She said Mr. Clifford had 'flown the flag for Sligo' during the a lifetime association with the GAA. Seconding the proposal, Clr. Seamus Kilgallon, paid tribute to Mr. Clifford's outstanding contribution to the GAA at club, county and national level. The late Mr. Clifford is survived by his wife, Kay daughters, Mary, Rose, Concepta, Brenda, Frances, Loretto and Carmel, sons, John and Pat, and a large circle of family and friends. Courtesy of the Sligo Champion 7 December 2005 Tweet

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