Camross mourns tragic loss The parish of Camross was numbed by the untimely death of one of its most popular young men last week. 21 year old Eoin Doran drowned in the Waikato River whilst travelling around New Zealand with friends. Eoin had been in the country for only a couple of weeks and had been planning to stay working and travelling there for a year. Police recovered his body at 2pm local time (1am Irish time) on Wednesday last. Eoin had been swimming in the river with friends before he got into difficulty. An off-duty fireman tried to rescue the Camross native but he was unsuccessful after Eoin's body got swept downstream by the current. Eoin was a very well known character in the parish of Camross and beyond, and was a very successful hurler with a bright future ahead of him. His brother Tadhg is a hurler for the Laois county team and he was from a well known family in GAA circles, both locally and throughout the country. "A cloud is now hanging over the community," parish priest Fr Lalor said of the tragedy. "Eoin was a fantastic person and a respectful gentleman. He was a great helper in the parish and was involved in many community groups. He came from a very secure and loving home and was a solid self secure person." Eoin attended Camross National School, before moving to secondary school in Patrician College Ballyfin and Coláiste Phobal in Roscrea. After secondary school he enrolled as student in Waterford IT. Principal of Camross NS, Mary McCarthy said the parish is still in shock after hearing the news. "The silence in the parish is audible, people are just at a loss for words. Eoin was a very bright young man, very happy and sociable and was popular with young and old alike." Even after leaving primary school, Eoin was still very much a part of life in the community. "Eoin was a very generous young man with his time, on many occasions he helped out on sports days in the school and refereed matches. Mrs McCarthy added "he was a great example to the young people in the school." Eoin was witty and outgoing and made friends wherever he went. He was well known for his budding hurling career but also participated in both football and rugby. Eoin began playing hurling at U8 level for Camross and was an active participant on all juvenile teams in the parish, before reaching senior level. He won numerous underage medals with Camross in the '90s and was a full back on the minor team that won Camross's first and only County Minor Championship title in 2005. He also was a full back on the U21 team that reached the County Championship finals over the last four years.The team won three out of the four finals, including this year's title. Eoin has a number of medals to his name, he was on the team that won the Junior A championship title earlier this year, and was a member of the panel that won the 2007 Senior Championship. Eoin not not only played for his club but the county as well and was a member of the Laois U21 team that lost to Dublin in the Leinster Championship this year. He was a very accomplished footballer and played in goals for the Camross football team that won the Junior B championship in 2005. During his time in Waterford IT he played in goals for the college football team, and was a very active member of sports teams in Colaiste Phobal, where he won Munster and All Ireland medals for GAA. He also played rugby under the watchful eye of trainer Seamus Dennison, member of the famous 1978 Munster team. Laois U21 manager Mattie Collier spoke very kindly of the young hurler: "Eoin was a very dedicated all round sportsman. He will be sadly missed by the community, his friends, neighbours and friends." He added: "Our thoughts and prayers are with Joe, Breda, Tadhg and Aedin. One can only try to imagine what they are going through. All we can do is rally round the family over the coming days and months to try help them with this tragic loss." As well as playing GAA with Camross, Eoin worked closely with management of underage teams. Mattie, who has been an underage coach of teams over the years, enjoyed working alongside the promising young player: "He had great leadership qualities, in 2007 he coached both hurling and football U16 teams." The local community in New Zealand is also shocked by the tragic accident that took the life of the bright young man. The Maori people earlier this week performed a ceremony on the Waikato River on the North Island in memory of Eoin. His body is expected to arrive home to Camross later this week with funeral mass and burial taking place this weekend. Eoin will be sadly missed by his parents, Joe and Breda, his brother Tadhg, his sister Aedin, his relatives and friends. - Courtesy of the Leinster Express, 3rd December 2008 Tweet

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