Delaney, Michael
October 31, 2004
The Late Michael Delaney
The death of Michael (Mick) Delaney occasioned widespread sadness and regret in the locality. He died in the Regional Hospital, Limerick, following a short illness.
Mick was well known throughout the whole community, he was full of wisdom and knowledge and was the kind of guy who delighted in passing on bits of useful information, more often than not with an accompanying story.
He was a remarkable man in many ways and will be sadly missed by the many people who had the pleasure of knowing him. The large crowds that turned up at his residence to say their goodbyes bore testament to the esteem in which the Delaney family are held.
Guards of honour provided by members of the GAA, Fine Gael, and the IFA accompanied the coffin en route to the Church of the Sacred Heart Templemore.
Huge crowds attended his Requiem Mass, which was celebrated by his cousin Rev, Joe Delaney, after which he was carried to his place of rest, his coffin draped with the Black and White, to St. Joseph's Cemetery.
Sincere sympathy is extended to his loving wife Brid, sons Michael and Seamus, daughters Joan, Catherine, Claire, Helen, Marie and Ailish, brothers Sean and Jim, sister Peggy, grandchildren, nephews, nieces, relatives, neighbours and friends.
A friend of Mick's delivered the following words at his graveside:
"When the news came through on Wednesday night/Thursday morning of Mick's death it was received by all of us who knew him with a great deal of sadness, surprise and indeed in some cases shock. But when we gathered our thoughts and thought about Mick the husband, the father, the grandfather, the brother, the father-in-law, the neighbour, the friend, the farmer, the hurley-repairer, the sportsman, we were sure we were thinking of a person who will go down in history as a first class Community Person. A very kind individual who was seen at his best when help was required by all who were lucky enough to have known him, worked with him, played with him, debated with him and indeed argued with him.
When it came to standing up and being counted where it mattered we all knew he was a man we could depend our lives on.
Where Mick was involved he put his heart and soul into everything he was required to do. This he did for the betterment of a community, of an association, of a club, of a neighbourhood, of whatever with no strings attached. He liked to get on about his business and do whatever was required to be done without fuss, without fear, and indeed without a sense of favour.
Whilst we will not physically see him walk around our neighbourhood again we sure will miss him. His works will be quite visible to all of us because any work his hand was on, was a work of art, a work of perfection, a work of performed with a hear and a half, and a will to please.
As a husband and father, he worked hard, he worked willingly and he worked with a real sense of pride of his family whom he deeply loved, was immensely proud of. Michael watched over all of them while they were in the nest and indeed he always made himself available when they left the nest. These will be the people who will miss him most, none more so than his wife Brid, with whom he travelled almost everywhere, with whom he socialised and prayed with, a wife he really depended on.
Mick's life was a simple one, a sensible one that was made up of all that is good in life. He got great enjoyment and satisfaction out of performing well, out of pleasing people, out of doing anything he did well.
There were times when those of us who worked with him got put in our place when we were not performing to his high standards. One look, and that sorted us out!
Outside of his family and his work, he had many interests, but none more so than the GAA. As a young man he took to the game of hurling with his brothers and neighbours, he played with many clubs in the parish and when he went to Dublin where he met his idol and great friend Tommy Treacy, he joined that famed club, Young Irelands with whom he won a Dublin Senior Hurling Championship in the Mid 60's. On his return home he continued to play with club teams from the parish.
At the end of his playing days he moved into administration, where he made his presence felt in a disciplined way. He pulled no punches, spoke his mind and loved good honest debate.
Many things can be said of Mick, the hurleys he produced were used by every caman-wielder in this locality. It can be safely said that he gave more hurleys away for free than he ever got paid for. To see players using them or indeed breaking them gave him immense satisfaction, better than any cash payment.
To play the game of 25 properly was more important than winning. The many people he played this very popular game with benefited hugely from his remarks and comments about their play.
His debating skills at the meeting table in the lead-up to the formation of the JK Bracken's GAA Club (a club he was immensely proud of) were widely admired. In the newly formed club he played his part as chairman, committee member, fund-raiser and his work in Pairc Shileann and at the Carroll and Grant Pavilion will forever be testimony to his wonderful hands. Within the club he took great pride in all deeds of the many players who wore the jersey, but especially the players who wore the Blue and Gold of his beloved Tipperary, none more so than the deeds of his daughter, Ailish, between the posts in Tipperary's All Ireland's victory in 1992, and later that year when she lined out for her province, Munster in their success in the Inter Provincial series. Another highlight in his career was when his two sons won Co. Intermediate medals.
The many achievements of his family in school and in the workplace were very special to him.
On the night in 2001 the McCarthy Cup came to town, as club chairman there was a special glint in his eye as the club he worked so hard to form had a player, Eamonn Corcoran playing a huge part in Tipp's success the previous Sunday. It was no secret the hurley that Eamonn used in that game took a full week to make such was Mick's attention to detail, and was the best to ever come out of Knockanroe.
Also in Mick's period as Chairman the club saw the Mid Senior Football Championship return to the parish for the first time in 38 years. No doubt he had the Midas touch.
Such was his commitment and devotion to his club Mick could could at times be accused of watching the game through tinted glasses. Never one to harbour grudges, all was immediately forgiven over a pint in one of his favourite haunts.
One of the most striking features of last evening was the number of young people who came to his home in Knockanroe to pay their last respects. It was not such a surprise as many of them got their first hurley from Mick when they came to the field to learn the skills of the game he loved, hurling. He took treat pride in his hurleys and was indeed an excellent craftsman.
In conclusion, as anybody who knew Mick will know, it is extremely difficult if not impossible in mere words, to pay justifiable tribute to such an outstanding person. If ever we are tempted to stray from the paths of life let the memory of Mick Delaney and what he would expect of us, rise before us.
Ni bheidh a leitheid ann aris. May the green sod of Templemore, which he loved so well and served so proudly rest lightly on his breast.
Go ndeana Dia trocaire ar a anam dilis agus ar anamacha na marbh go leir san relig seo.
Courtesy of the Tipperary Star
October 2004
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