MEP Seán Kelly has paid tribute to his uncle, Seán O Ceallaigh, who died at the weekend, aged 87, and who was also father-in-law to Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

Originally from Clashnagarranne, Kilcummin, Mr O'Ceallaigh moved to Dublin to work as a civil servant at the age of 18. Living in Clontarf, he later became Secretary General of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs but kept in touch with his Kerry roots, appearing in two All-Ireland finals for Kerry, including the 1953 win against Armagh.

Former GAA president Sean Kelly this week described the deceased as "a great man who gave good, objective advice and assistance but was never pushy". The Fine Gael MEP also revealed how his uncle may not have been the biggest fan of his high profile campaign to amend Rule 42 which had banned other sports from Croke Park. "He wasn't the greatest advocate of the opening of Croke Park", Seán recalled with a smile this week. "It's fair to say he wasn't overly enamoured by it but he accepted it. I remember a Christmas card from him in 2004 in which he wished Juliet and I 'Happy Christmas' but on the bottom was written in Irish 'Don't open the gates," he added. Despite living in Dublin and with limited means of transport back to Kerry, Seán also spoke of how his uncle regularly returned to his native Kilcummin, particularly to continue his involvement with GAA The MEP also revealed that despite winning an All-Ireland as a full-forward in 1953, it was a very long time before he met the opposition again. "That day he marked Jack Bratton and it wasn't until a Golden Jubilee of that game, held in Armagh, that he met Jack again. That was in 2003 and he was delighted with that". Seán O'Ceallaigh died at the Bon Secours Hospital in Glasnevin after a short illness. He is survived by seven children including Fionnuala, who is the wife of Enda Kenny. He is predeceased by his wife, Eileen (Hanrahan) who died in 1990.

(Text courtesy of The Kerryman 15/08/12) Tweet

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