Wicklow GAA is mourning the sudden death of county and Blessington goalkeeper Ray Daniels. Aged just 28, the young father-of-one died from a suspected heart attack while travelling in a taxi with friends to Naas for a night out last Saturday. Poignantly, he had just received the all-clear from doctors after an infection caused a kidney to fail last October. Ray, or 'Rasher' as he was affectionately known, had been Wicklow's first choice goalkeeper for a number of years until last season when a groin injury sidelined him, but he planned to resume training in the coming weeks. His brother Jonathan, who is a highly-rated forward in the Garden County and lined out alongside him on the Wicklow team on many occasions, said the Daniels family were in complete shock at his sudden passing. "He was receiving dialysis all over Christmas. He got the all-clear last Tuesday, and he went out on Saturday night with a few friends, and we think he had a heart attack," Jonathan said. Former GAA president and current Blessington club president Jack Boothman said Daniels was "a gifted footballer and goalkeeper", while former Wicklow manager Hugh Kenny said he was a major loss to the county. As many members of the GAA community visited the family home in Blessington on Sunday, his family, including his parents Brendan and Teresa, his other brother Shane, his girlfriend Linda Carroll and two-year-old son Ben, were being comforted by relatives and friends. Ray was looked up to be many young players in the Blessington area and his death leaves a huge void in the local club. Hogan Stand journalist Randal Scally interviewed Ray Daniels at the end of 2006, just as the Mick O'Dwyer era was starting. To read that interview click here: www.hoganstand.com/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=70482 Tweet

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