Hurl, John
April 18, 2004
The Late Sean Hurl
Sean Hurl's untimely death at the age of 40 occurred in the early hours of Sunday 18 April. Sean's life was short but he had lived life to the full. He enjoyed life - In Sean's mind life was for living and he did exactly that.
He was a greyhound trainer and had developed his skills to such an extent that he was widely recognised as one of Ireland's leading professional trainers. Sean sent out many famous dogs and nothing gave him more pleasure than having a dog that was good enough to go to the mecca of racing, Shelbourne Park, on a Saturday night.
His good friend, Seamus Conway used to say that going to Shelbourne on a Saturday night was like going to Cheltenham. However, such was Sean's ability and such was the confidence in his own ability that he was never afraid to go to Shelbourne Park and take them on - big names and bigger reputations went crashing when Sean was around. At 40, Sean had established himself amongst the elite and was destined for even greater things.
Sean was very hardworking away from the dogs as well; having worked for 17 years maintaining the church grounds etc. in Ardboe. The fruits of his labour are there for all to admire in the impeccably maintained church buildings and grounds. The grass was always cut to perfection. Appreciation of his skills was recognised by all and the vast numbers of mourners were overwhelmed by the immaculately well kept surroundings of the family home.
Sean was a keen sportsman. He enjoyed cycling competitively in his youth. He played with much acclaim for his local club, Ardboe O'Donovan Rossa where he was again fearless of the opposition. Sean was a true sportsman magnanimous in victory and gracious in defeat.
Sean, although a very quiet, reserved and unassuming person, touched the lives of all who came in contact with him.
He was kind of heart and extremely generous. He was a real family man; he was proud of them and they in turn were even more proud of him and his magnificent achievements.
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