Lovable, supportive, reliable, relentless, resilient, dedicated and determined. There are not enough words to describe our dear friend, neighbour and clubman Declan Black who sadly passed away on Father’s Day Sunday 15th June 2025. It is impossible to sum up what he meant to us, and to our club.

Where would Kilmainham GFC be today, were it not for Declan’s tireless hours of work and dedication? Our club meant everything to him, and he meant everything to our club. Some local kids thought Declan owned the pitch because that’s where he could always be found, painting walls, marking pitches, cleaning gutters, cutting hedges, sweeping and mopping the clubhouse, doing lineman, umpire - and always with a friendly greeting and a smile. You name it, he did it. He acted as Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and committee member for years. He drove our club forward year after year with his enthusiasm and creativity, always trying to improve our club grounds and facilities. His secretary reports at our AGM’s were something we looked forward to. No one could present the reports like Declan, they were meticulous, well written, and they accurately recorded the yearly club events. He was relentless at club fundraisers; he raised thousands down through the years and was always the first one to run short of tickets to sell. No one could say ‘no’ to Declan when he was selling a ticket simply because he was such a great supporter of all GAA and Charity fundraisers and was always the first man to put his hand in his own pocket. As recently as Sat 24th May 2025, a horrible, wet night, Declan stood outside the church gates for the annual collection. Despite his illness, and terrible weather he was ready to raise money for our club – the club that meant so much to him throughout his life.

Declan was a proud man.  Proud of his community, the people, and the work they did together.  He was proud to welcome teams to play in Kilmainham to showcase Kilmainham’s fine club facilities. He was the first to get organised and would ring everyone he knew to make sure that the games were well stewarded. Declan was proud of the official opening of our club pitch on Sunday 30th April 2017. Meath welcomed Down to Kilmainham. A historic day for our club and proud day for Declan. The opening was postponed numerous times because Declan was a perfectionist - and Declan ensured it was perfect. On the day of the game, the grounds were immaculate and drew great praise by everyone that attended. He took great pride in seeing Meath play on his home ground.  In the same year, Kilmainham received the Meath GAA Club Grounds of the Year award. Another proud moment for Declan, all his hard work rightly receiving the recognition that he thoroughly deserved. He gave unbelievable dedication and service to our underage section Round Towers. He helped with every aspect of the club. He dedicated one week of his annual leave each year just to make sure that our Cul Camp was a success.

His commitment to his club was only rivalled by his equal commitment to Meath GAA. He volunteered as a Pairc Tailteann steward at All Age Meath matches. He was the current vice-Chairman to the Minor Board, acted as Secretary to the Minor Board and held various roles in the county board throughout the years. He was our club delegate to the county board for numerous years. If he wasn’t busy in Kilmainham getting things done, he was getting things done elsewhere – attending meetings in Pairc Tailteann or in Dunganny, stewarding at matches or just helping colleagues. While Declan was always busy, he was never too busy to help a friend.  He never said ‘no’ when someone asked for his time. He was highly regarded and respected by everyone at County Board, club and community level. He gave over 30 years of loyal service to Meath GAA. He would travel the length and breadth of the country to attend Meath matches in all types of weather. Nothing could ever stop him.  He was determined right to the end.

At club matches he was no different. He regularly attended all levels of local club GAA matches in Meath. His passion for Meath GAA and GAA in general was infectious. Even though his health was fading, he made it his business to attend the recent county board meeting on 7th May, such was his dedication to his club role and Meath GAA. Even though his health had deteriorated so much, he refused to miss the Meath and Louth Leinster Final in Croke Park. He went to great lengths to make that match when lesser men would have thrown in the towel. Declan was resilience personified.  A true Gael gone too soon.

Declan was an amazing husband, to Helen, father to Conor, uncle, brother and friend. He was adored by his family. There was nothing that he wouldn’t do for them nor them for him. To Helen, Conor, Sam and Ann and all the Black family and friends, we offer our sincere condolences as a club to you at this difficult time. At Kilmainham GFC we really appreciate all the time that Declan and you as family gave to our club down through the years. We are here for you in the days, weeks, months and years ahead just like Declan was always there for us.

Declan, you have left our club a better place for you having been there, and for that we are eternally grateful. Time for others to follow in your inspiring footsteps, and to build on great legacy you have left behind. 

Goodbye for now Declan, our friend, until we meet again. “Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam”.

Funeral Details

Reposing at McEntee's Funeral Home, Kells on Tuesday (17th June) from 4 o'clock to 7 o'clock. Removal from his residence on Wednesday morning at 10.30 arriving at St. Colmcille's Church, Kells for funeral mass at 11 o'clock

Royal County Meath GAAYearbook caught up with Declan in 2016

Against considerable odds, Kilmainham GFC have made tremendous progress in recent years. In 2016, the rural north county outfit consolidated their second-flight status in both league and championship – a stunning accomplishment for a club of such humble origins. We caught up with proud club secretary Declan Black to find out what it means to be a lifelong Kilmainham stalwart.

Kilmainham GFC really is an extraordinary club within the ranks of Royal County GAA and it is a credit to all involved that they will spend their 50th anniversary year contesting Division Two of the all county football league and the intermediate football championship. Established in the All-Ireland-winning year of 1967 to provide representation and playing time to the close-knit population of a two-mile stretch of the main Dublin-Cavan road south of Kells, and often described as Meath’s smallest club, Kilmainham have defied the odds to not just survive but thrive. They had no place to call home for most of their existence to date – but in 2016 hosted club championship action at their impressive grounds, including the junior ‘D’ final. All in all, theirs is a remarkable story and one that epitomises everythingthe GAA is all about.

Declan Black has been involved in the club all his life, representing them in every conceivable capacity, and is extremely proud of where they are at today. He remembers the period when they went five years without winning a match, so to see where Kilmainham are positioned now – just one step below senior football – is a source of tremendous satisfaction: “The first thing we ever won was the 4A league in 1976, beating Trim by 0-9 to 0-3 in the final in Athboy,” he reflects. “In 1980, we won Division Three, which is now the junior ‘C’ championship, beating Boardsmill in the final at Pairc Tailteann by seven points to five.” Declan was goalkeeper for that success, having played at wing forward four year earlier. Denis Newman – the first clubman to don the county colours (at minor level in 1970) was top scorer in both of those finals, knocking over three points each day. Centre forward Donal Morgan was captain in ’76; full back Tom Nelson collected the silverware in ’80.

A major breakthrough came in 2001 when, with Paddy O’Rourke as manager and Declan Black (who had hung up his boots in the late ‘80s) acting as selector alongside Denis Newman and Gerard Morgan, Kilmainham secured the junior ‘B’ football championship, It was the club’s second successive final appearance and Longwood provided the opposition in Navan, where goals from Graham Walsh, David Farnan and substitute Robert Newman propelled the Red & Blacks to a convincing 3-12 to 0-9 victory and a place in the junior grade proper.

The rise to intermediate ranks was completed at the end of the 2013 season when both junior finalists – Drumbaragh and Kilmainham – were promoted to the second tier as part of a County Board competitions reshuffle. For the past three seasons, Kilmainham have held on to their intermediate status. In 2016, they were in Group C along with Donaghmore / Ashbourne, Dunderry, Curraha, St Michael's and Drumbaragh. A thumping 2-17 to 0-10 victory over Drumbaragh in Round 5 at Kells on September 3rd was enough to secure a place in the 2017 IFC.

Declan Black is confident the club he served as chairman for 15 years - as well as extended stints as secretary and County Board delegate - can kick on in the coming seasons:“We just need a few more players and we’ll be able to challenge for intermediate honours,” he says. “We’re short three or four strong players. If we could get those, there’s no reason why we couldn’t win it. Dunderry only beat us by a point in the group this year and they went on to reach the final. “But it’s not all about winning silverware. You keep working at club level no matter what happens. We’re after developing our new pitch and we have hosted junior, intermediate and senior championship games in Kilmainham. That’s great to see, considering that we didn’t even have a pitch until a little over ten years ago and were using a local farmer’s field. “And we had never been intermediate until two years ago either, so this is something of a golden era for Kilmainham. We’ve never known times like this. If you’d told somebody 20 years ago that we’d be playing intermediate football, have a man on the county squad and be hosting senior championship matches in Kilmainham, they’d have thought you were mad!” The county man of course is Michael Newman, son of Declan’s good friends the aforementioned Denis and Kathleen.

Declan has been accompanying the Newmans to Meath’s national league matches around the country for more years than he cares to remember and he says one of the undoubted highlights so far of his long association with Kilmainham GFC was seeing Mickey don the Meath colours quite regularly on championship day at Croke Park.

Away from gaelic football, Declan Black works as a project supervisor for ESB Networks, looking after timber contracts from their Dundalk base. “It was a great place to be in 2010 after the Joe Sheridan episode,” he quips. But Kilmainham GFC is never far from his mind... “I was born and bred here and I still live here. I enjoy being involved with the club and there are a lot of great people in the community who do a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes. “There’s a very good working committee in place and they deserve great credit because pitches and facilities don’t just fall out of the sky. These things are largely taken for granted but somebody has to put nin the hard work and graft to make them a reality.”

Declan’s brother, Sam Black, who runs The Westway Bar on Bective Street in Kells and who also featured on the 1976 and 1980 teams, is club vice-chairman and his three sons still tog out for Kilmainham today. “Our father actually played for Gaeil Colmcille and was involved with the SFC successes of 1966 and ’68, which is where we got our interest from.”

Regarding other highlights with Kilmainham over the years, Declan adds: “Petsey Curran was on the Meath junior team that played Waterford in the 1999 All-Ireland junior final, while Barry Lynch won an All-Ireland junior medal with Meath as well as representing the county at U21 and senior levels. Jimmy Bellew also wore the county colours but it was Michael Newman who really put Kilmainham on the map.”

As a club delegate to the County Board for many years as well as a steward at Paric Tailteann, Declan Black also has a keen interest in what’s going on at intercounty level. “We didn’t know how good we had it,” he states. “In the late ‘80s, Meath supporters were in heaven and didn’t realise it. Meath have won seven All-Irelands and I was at five of them – that gives a good indication of how good of a run we had. I was at my first final in ’67 and have been at every one since. “We will definitely win another one. The emphasis probably wasn’t put on underage the way it should have been. When’s the last time Meath won a Leinster minor or U21? That has to change. But we have to take baby steps. We have to creep before we can walk or we’ll keep falling over. “We have put the processes in place and there is enormous effort going in at underage and Development Squad level,” the Kilmainham stalwart concludes. “The work is definitely being done so it’s a matter now of waiting to see if we are good enough. Give it three more years and Meath will be challenging for honours again.”

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