The very sudden death of Jim Maher on February 16th last was a great shock for his close family, extended family, neighbours and friends. Jim had 3 great passions in life - family, sport and community life in Ballinteer, Dublin - his adopted home and his native Loughmore. His birthplace was Loughmore with its proud tradition in football and later in hurling. It was here that his great love of GAA and other sports was nurtured. He played both codes with the club right up to his late 20s - winning Co. Minor football medals in 1964 and U21 with Loughmore-Castleiney/Moyne Templetuohy in 1965. When he retired he continued as an ardent supporter and mentor up to his untimely passing on the 16th February, 2008. He studied at UCD qualifying with a degree in Agricultural Science in 1970 but he spent virtually all his working life engaged in accountancy after training and qualifying as a certified accountant. He practiced from his office in Belvedere Place, Dublin 2 since 1984 and earlier in Mountjoy Square. His love of hurling encapsulated an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of teams and players past and present reserving particular affection for the exploits of the Tipp greats of the late 50's and 60s. Indeed a particular childhood treasure of his was to watch the big game matches from the sideline in Thurles and collect the broken hurleys of his idols, during the after the game. A regular at Lansdowne for soccer and rugby matches where his interest and knowledge of players enabled him to freely recall special moments in their lives on and off the field. Long before his extended family played and contested rugby at the highest level he enjoyed the odd friendly with Mary's and Terenure in Dublin. He fostered a special interest in boxing pening commentary notes from an early age, and spending any available Friday night in the National Stadium when he first came to Dublin. He cherished human contact and friendship above all else. He was invariably last home on big match days. Self effacing to the point of betraying his many talents, always courteous and generous with his time to others, as exemplified with his commitment to the local resident association, neighbourhood watch, John's GAA Club, Loughmore Club and the church in Ballinteer. Jim made a very significant contribution to the Ballinteer St.John's GAA Club both as a mentor and an administrator and was treasurer of the club for 3 years during a huge growth phase in its development when it was building its new "state of the art" club house. He was very proud of the keen interest and significant contribution his son Peter began to make in the club in recent years. He is sadly missed by all his many friends in this club. Without doubt his vocation was centered on sport and his spiritual home was Loughmore where images of the castle, the village and it's people always remained close to his heart. He leaves behind his daughter Jennifer and his son Peter with a huge loss accentuated all the more as his beloved wife Catherine passed away a mere eighteen months earlier. He is survived by his only brother Mick, sister-in-law Marie, brother-in-law Willie, nieces, nephews and cousins. He was a great companion, a true and loyal friend to many, a wonderful gael. Ar dheis De go raibh a anam dhilis. Tipp Star, 17th January 2009 Tweet

Most Read Stories