Farewell Jim, a Sars legend
A club mourns sudden loss of one of its favourite sons
A TRUE legend of the Sarsfields club will be laid to rest in his adopted home of Murrintown today (Tuesday).
That description of someone we have lost is often used loosely and inappropriately, but in the case of Jim Roice, it is entirely apt.
The man was a giant in every sense of the word, and the news that he had passed away suddenly while tending to his garden on Saturday was greeted with shock and deep sadness within the Sarsfields club, and indeed the wider Wexford community.
Jim was a footballer I looked up to as a youngster, a fellow committee member for more than 25 years with a tremendous appetite for hard work behind the scenes, a devoted family man, and a dear friend.
To be writing about him in the past tense doesn’t make sense right now, especially in these unreal times when we are denied the means to grieve, and be close to his loved ones, in the natural way.
Take a close look at the action photograph on this page, and it will convey a great deal about the character of Jim Roice.
It was taken on county Senior football final day in 1984, and there is a trademark defiance etched across Jim’s face as he drives that ball as far as he can send it down the Bellefield pitch while colleague Liam Turner looks on.
His full-back display in that 1-4 to 0-3 victory over Duffry Rovers was memorable, earning him the man of the match accolade and a share of the prestigious Sealink Personality of the Month award with All-Ireland Junior handball winner John Fleming.
It was 17 years since Jim’s other Senior medal won with his beloved Butters, and he was the only onfield playing link with the two teams, although veteran Jas Kirwan was still involved as one of the substitute goalkeepers.
Jim’s achievements in 1967 were simply incredible, and will never be forgotten. The club won the treble of Senior, Under-21 and Minor championships, and he was full-back in all three finals.
It must be remembered that this was in an era when the football was raw, and the edge of the square was no place for the faint-hearted.
However, Jim thrived in that unrelenting pressure cooker atmosphere, one of four teenagers to play in all three finals with the triumphant teams along with Martin Carey, Jim Murphy, and Dan Kavanagh, a future All-Ireland Senior finalist with his native Kerry in 1972.
The late, great ‘Peileadóir’, Seamus Keevans, had a bird’s eye view of that 0-13 to 1-8 win over Castletown as he refereed the game. And his column in this newspaper noted that ‘vying for top honours were the captain, Tony O’Leary, who had a truly great hour, and the majestic 18-year-old Jim Roice at full-back’.
That view was confirmed in a text sent to me by the man he directly opposed that day, Joe
O’Shaughnessy, while I wrote this piece: ‘...he was marking me in the 67 final and never gave me a kick of the ball’.
Jim was a county Minor in 1966 and ’67, and an Under-21 in ’67, ’68 and ’70. He was also a very talented hurler at under-age level, filling that number three jersey he adorned with regular distinction on the Wexford Minor side in the All-Ireland final loss of 1967 to Cork.
For a footballer of such marvellous natural talent, it seems almost absurd to note that he only played three times with the county Senior team, in late 1967 and early 1968, while he was recalled as a veteran to the 1985 championship panel but didn’t see any action.
However, there was a very good reason behind that: Jim spent many years away from home, working at sea, meaning that he wasn’t available to county selectors during the prime of his playing career.
He was a panel member when Wexford District won the county Senior title in 1977, with his job once again hampering his involvement, and he was the rock on which many a Duffry Rovers attack perished in the three-game Intermediate final saga of 1979 that finally ended with a 0-9 to 0-6 triumph for the Sars on March 16 of the following year.
That brings me back to the action photograph on this page, and the happy memories it evokes. I was twelve years old at the time, and we had won our own county championship at the same Bellefield venue earlier in the year.
The Under-21 team had also tasted success, so, similar to 1967, there was a treble to celebrate. And as a wide-eyed youngster, I’ll always remember the lasting impression left on me by our star full-back with the mane of hair and beard that made him look like a viking – how cool was that?
His Senior final swansong came at the other end of the field, at full-forward in 1987, when Duffry Rovers turned the tables in a special sporting rivalry between the clubs to win the second of their seven-in-a-row by two points.
By the time the Sars made it to the big day next, in 1993 against Kilanerin, Jim was a selector along with the late Jim Crowley, and Dan Harrington.
He was also someone I considered a very good friend by that stage, because I came on board the club committee as P.R.O. one year before, and served in that position until hanging up my pen so to speak at the most recent A.G.M.
Jim was Chairman from March of 1992 up to 2000, with one of his most pleasant tasks coming in 1997 when he led the club through its 90th anniversary celebrations.
In more recent times he was kept busy as an umpire, culminating in last year’s county Senior final when he donned a white coat along with Brian ‘Fuzzy’ Furlong, Ger Halligan and William Murphy to assist referee Kevin Carty.
I’d be quite confident in stating that there wasn’t a solitary day that went by without Jim doing something for the benefit of the Sars, and never seeking anything in return.
Whether it was pitch or clubhouse maintenance, or one of the myriad tasks associated with the Wexford Has Talent fundraiser, Jim could be relied upon always to get the job done without fuss or bluster.
He retained that fine physique he always carried on the field, and the only thing to remind us that he had recently passed the 70 mark was the gradual change over the years from his youthful blonde locks to grey.
Normally, the role of President in a club is an honorary one, a reward for years of service and a sign that the incumbent is now taking a back seat in an advisory capacity. In Jim’s case, nothing was further from the truth, as he was the most ‘hands-on’ office-holder I think I’ve ever known.
I hadn’t seen him in person since stepping away from the committee, but he rang me on April 2 with a request that seems all the more poignant now in light of Saturday’s sad news.
Plans for a memorial in the clubhouse to honour another Sarsfields giant, John Harrington, are up and running, and Jim was asking if I’d look after the text.
I was happy to oblige, naturally enough, and we chatted about the crushing loss of our late mutual friend before pondering what would happen next as the Covid-19 crisis continued to escalate.
Little did I think at the time that a tribute to Jim for that same clubhouse wall will now be needed, less than one month later.
Only the very best get that treatment from the club after their demise, with Seán Siggins and Jim Crowley the first to be honoured in such a manner.
And when it comes to measuring the contribution made by Jim Roice to the betterment of the Sarsfields, there will be nobody arguing with his right to join ‘The Chief’, Jim and ‘Big Harry’ among the pantheon of club greats.
His first medal was achieved with the District-winning Juvenile team of 1963, and he added an incredible eight county titles in the following four years: Juvenile in ’64 and ’65, a Minor four-in-a-row from ’64 to ’67, plus those Senior and Under-21 victories from ’67.
However, it was more, much more, than mere medals and onfield achievements that made Jim such a popular figure with club members of all ages.
He was always up for a laugh, and remained young at heart, so it didn’t matter whether he was dealing with one of the tiniest players from the Baby Butters (the club’s nursery section), or a gnarled veteran on the Senior team.
Regardless of age or ability, he put everyone at ease and made them feel a valued part of something special, a club carved in his own image and likeness with a warm welcome afforded to one and all.
Jim had to deal with a family tragedy of staggering proportions on May 17, 1974, when his sister, Siobhán, was one of 26 innocent victims of the Dublin bombings.
And since Saturday night, with sleep proving a scarce commodity, I have sought consolation for his sudden loss from the firm belief that the siblings will now be re-united in a better place. That first loving embrace between the pair will help to ease almost 46 years of pain and suffering, and they will be together again for the anniversary next month.
There will surely be a reunion, too, with ‘Big Harry’ in that ample playing field in the sky. I reckon John’s first line will be, ‘what are you doing up here?’, and from that point on the banter and slagging between the pair will be constantly back and forth, same as it ever was.
Our hearts go out to Jim’s wife Marian, his children Katrina, Michele, Eddie and James, grandchildren, sisters, and wider circle of family and friends.
As a club and a community, we also mourn the passing of Mrs. Florrie O’Leary, whose first husband, Martin ‘Forky’ Bergin, died from injuries sustained while playing alongside Jim and the rest of the Seniors in July, 1967. The O’Leary and Bergin families are in our thoughts and prayers too at this unbearably sad time.
Having Jim Roice on our side was always one of the main reasons why being a ‘Sarsfield’ meant so much to so many. We’ll cherish the memories, and never forget our outstanding full-back with the heart of gold. It was an honour to know him and call him a friend.