The late Jack Fagan
June 12, 2025
Meath Leinster SFC winners 1966. FFront l-r: Sean McCormack, Tom Brown, Pat Collier, Pat Reynolds, Davy Carty, Noel Curran, Ollie Shanley, Paddy Mulvany, Bertie Cunningham, Paddy Cromwell, Mick O'Brien. Back l-r: Mick Lynch, Murty Sullivan, Jack Quinn, Peter Moore, Jack Fagan, Vincent Foley, Jim Fagan, Gerry Quinn, Dinny Donnelly, Peter Darby
We are sad to report the passing of former Meath footballer John (Jack) Fagan.
Jack was a regular on the Meath team which reached the 1966 All-Ireland final.
Interestingly, the Killallon native hadn't even played club football when he first lined out for Meath. He was noticed while playing college football for Salesian College in Laois and then broke onto the Royal County team.
Captained by Davy Carty Meath defeated Kildare 1-9 to 1-8 in the 1966 Leinster final and the Royals were back in an All-Ireland SFC final for the first time in 12 years after their 2-16 to 1-9 win over Down in the semi-final. Galway, chasing a three-in-a-row, were a step too far for Peter McDermott’s men coming out on top 1-10 to 0-7 in the decider.
Jack’s brother Jimmy was also a key member of that 1966 Meath team.
Royal County Meath GAA Yearbook caught up with the former Meath star in 2003 when Jack was Chairman of Bective GFC.
“I got injured towards the latter part of 1966 and after receiving extensive treatment, Dublin club Erin's Isle asked him to transfer across the border.
"I decided I would join Erin's Isle, but unfortunately the move all but ended my time with the Meath team, because back then you had to be playing for a club in your own county to play for the county team,” explained Jack.
"I got a letter from the Meath County Board saying that I was ineligible to play for the county team once I transferred to Erin's Isle."
Jack spent almost six years with Erin's Isle and was even awarded the club captaincy. He was part of the Erin's Isle side that won the prestigious Division One League title and revealed that it was an extraordinarily high standard of football.
"All the best players in the country were pretty much playing in Dublin at the time and I remember one game in particular when we played Civil Service around 1968 or so. They had 15 players who had played in the Railway Cup final that same year and we beat them by two points - but it just showed the calibre of players you were up against."
Jack moved home to play with Ballinlough in the Seventies, before a brief but successful spell with Walterstown towards the end of that decade.
A move to Boyne Hill saw Jack get involved with the Bective club at juvenile and later committee level. He was a club President at the time of his passing.
Beyond his contribution on the field, Jack was the founder of Fagan, Lynch, Donnellan Accountants & Partners.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.
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