Kickhams pay tribute to honorary member, the great Jimmy Magee
The Cooley Kickhams Club are saddened at the news of the passing of the great “Memory Man” Jimmy Magee.
Jimmy was born in New York and at age 3 his family moved to the Cooley Peninsula where Jimmy himself oft times quipped that it was in the Peninsula he cut his commentator’s teeth.
On his numerous visits to the peninsula he always told the story of being a very young schoolboy in his back garden commentating on his imaginary All-Ireland finals and using the names of the greats of that era.
Jimmy Magee never forgot his roots and when on air on numerous occasions he would speak of the scenic Cooley Peninsula in the wee County of Louth. He was as important to tourism in the Cooley Peninsula as the late Paidi O’Se was to Kerry.
Indeed in the era of the showbands Jimmy was involved in the record industry and in the mid 1960s he formed the Jimmy Magee All Stars with teams made up of showband stars who traversed the country for many years raising millions for charity. He didn’t forget his native place and brought the team on two occasions, once to play in Wood’s field in Carlingford and in the early 1970s to Fr. McEvoy Park where his team of entertainers played a local selection!
Jimmy was given Honorary Membership of the Cooley Kickhams Club in honour of all he had achieved and given to sport over a long and illustrious career. He was very proud when this was bestowed on him and over the years he was a regular visitor and guest of honour at different Club functions.
In April 1989 Jimmy attended the official opening of the Cooley Kickhams Sports Complex as a guest speaker which was a short number of days after the loss of his late wife Marie and in September of the same year he ventured into the Cooley Kickham’s dressing room on County final day. It is suffice to say that Jimmy Magee is fondly remembered and was well loved by the people of Cooley Kickhams.
Jimmy’s most recent visit to a Club function was in 2012 for the Club’s 125th year celebration as the main guest of honour and as usual when he was speaking all of the audience were honed in to every word he spoke. As previously stated he was renowned countrywide as the “Memory Man” however a lot of revellers at the Club’s 125 celebrations didn’t realise that his memory could drill right down to Club players.
On the night he astounded the younger attendees with a recital of the names of teams that played in the now defunct Cooley League, recited the years in which the Club contested championship finals and grade in which this was, who their opponents were, recited the lineout of each team with the players name and position.
He then went on to name all players that represented the Club at County level and of the household names that played with the Club, County and Province. On completion of his speech on the night he spoke of his pride to be the speaker at the Club that as a youngster he could have thrown a stone from his back garden to their now headquarters.
It was apt that somebody of his stature and knowledge could deliver this on the night as there were supporters, players and administrators from most decades of the history of which he spoke in attendance.
For a boy from Crossalaney in the Cooley peninsula, to Kilmacud in Dublin, to almost every conceivable sports event in numerous cities all over the globe - to commentate on the range of sports which he did just had to be the stuff that real dreams are made of and Jimmy Magee always spoke of his appreciation and love of what his job was.
Ar dheis dé go raibh a anam dílis