A Meath GAA club has paid tribute to one of its dedicated members who passed away suddenly on Tuesday.

Declan McNamee (39) was a former Ballinlough footballer who had immersed himself in underage coaching in recent years. He is survived by wife Mary, children Jamie, Kieran, Shea and Sophie, parents Seamus and Teresa, and sister Ciara.

"The Ballinlough club was plunged into sadness once again with the news of the unexpected and untimely death of much loved mentor and friend Declan McNamee," Ballinlough GFC said in a Facebook post yesterday.

"Declan started playing with the club at U-12 level in the early 90s, and he was on the U-14 panel which lost a Championship final in 1993. He continued to play underage all through his teens and eventually played for the Ballinlough Junior team in the late 90’s/early 00’s.

"He made his senior Championship debut in Athboy in 2002, coming on to help Ballinlough beat Dunderry. He was on the Senior panel for a number of years before heading for Australia for a few years travelling with friends.

"But while he enjoyed a good career playing with Ballinlough, Declan really excelled when he joined the Juvenile coaching setup in 2017. Having a couple of young lads playing for Ballinlough was a great source of pride for Declan and he was exceptional at nurturing young talent and helping our underage players find their feet and their place in the club. He also supported the club financially sponsoring a set of juvenile jerseys, when the call came through Declan didn’t hesitate to say yes.

"Declan will be so sadly missed by not only those players and mentors but all of us within the club and indeed the wider parish. He was never short of a smile and a cheeky quip and I for one am going to miss him desperately, he was one of the best."

Declan's Funeral Mass takes place tomorrow at 12 noon in The Church of the Assumption, Ballinlough, Kells, followed by burial in the adjoining cemetery.

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