Mayo great passes away Football fans were saddened to hear of the death of a former Mayo great and a footballing legend, Dr. Joe 'Joko' Gilvarry, who was a pivotal member of the 1950/51 All-Ireland winning Mayo sides. He was laid to rest in his native Kilalla after Requiem Mass, which was celebrated by Fr. Paddy Hoban and attended by a number of his former colleagues and friends including the retired Bishop of Kilalla, Dr. Thomas Finnegan; Fr. Peter Quinn, Fr. Leo Morahan, Fr. Peter O'Brien, Willie Casey, Paddy Jordan and Dr. Mick Loftus. Dr. Loftus was a team-mate and also a work colleague of Dr Givary. "Joe had a great sporting career. His brothers, Paddy, Johnny, Tom and himself all represented Mayo from the late forties up to the early fifties. I can remember that Joe was an excellent corner-forward and played for Connacht in the Railway cup competition and claimed a Railway Cup. "Joe was also forty years in the medical practice and he lived all his life in Ballycastle. "Not only was he a great footballer, but he also captained the Blackrock College to a Leinster Cup win. He went to Mass daily and had a keen interest in fishing and hunting. He would also go on his daily three mile walk. Joe was a good team-mate and a very good friend of mine over the years. He was the assistant coroner in Mayo for over thirty years and worked very hard at his job," Dr. Loftus explained. The Kilalla man played wing-forward on the 1950 side and corner-forward on the 1951 side. In the 1950 final, Gilvarry scored a crucial point and helped Mayo defeat a strong Louth side. In the 1951 final, Gilvarry caused the Meath defence all sorts of problems and the Kilalla clubman won back to back All-Ireland titles. "Joko" also had the honour of winning four consecutive Connacht medals with Mayo from 1948 - 1951. In addition to his exploits with the county team, he won a Sigerson Cup medal as well and also found time to line out for the Connaccht rugby team. Dr. Gilvarry is survived by his wife Mary, and children Mary, Anne, Eilish, Emer, Joan, Joseph and Ailbhe. Dr, Gilvarry was laid to rest in Kilalla Cemetery. Courtesy of the Western People October 2004 Tweet

Most Read Stories