Oliver Crewe

Oliver was born in Lurgan on February 27, 1947. His parents were Matthew and Elizabeth Crewe. The family settled in number 12 Beaumont Square on the Shankhill estate. In all there were 14 children in the Crewe family – Marisa, Anna, Linda, Mary, Philomena, Matt, Pat and now Oliver have passed away, leaving Eilish, Margaret, Bridget, Veronica, Gemma and Gerard. Oliver attended St Paul’s Junior High School where he met up with Master Harry Hoy, a PE teacher who had a deep commitment to Gaelic football.

Oliver went on to make his mark with the club Clan na Gael, accumulating three Ulster club titles, one All-Ireland final appearance and seven Armagh senior titles, as well as an intermediate and a county minor crown. Having moved to Dundalk in 1978 after marrying Kay, he played out the twilight years of his football career for local team Dowdallshill, where he won two trophies in 1989 – the Macardle Cup and the Avonmore Shield. Everyone who had the good fortune to encounter Oliver as a player, as a lifelong member of Clan na Gael, as a colleague or as a friend could only but regard it as a privilege to have known this giant of a man.

At his funeral Mass, Father Gerry referred to him as one of nature’s true gentlemen - a truly fitting description of this gentle giant. Oliver is missed everyday by his wife Kay, son Paul, daughters Tracy, Elaine and Emma, grandchildren, son-in-law Alan, sisters Bridget, Veronica, Eilish, Margaret, Gemma and brother Gerard, extended family and friends.