Greyhound community mourn death of Patsy Lynch
KERRY lost a well-known doggy personality last week in Patsy Lynch, of Tralee, who was well known over the years for the coverage he provided on greyhound racing and coursing, not least The Kerryman and Radio Kerry.
One man who knew him better than most was Liam Brassil, former secretary of County Kerry Coursing Club.
“Patsy was a friend to everybody and if you wanted to know anything about a greyhound, where he ran, how he clocked, what his prospects were, who the owner and trainer was, Patsy was your man,” Liam said.
“He was an amazing judge of pace, he breathed and lived the sport, and he will be missed at all the coursing meetings he attended. He came from great doggy stock and, as treasurer when we ran the Irish Cup meeting at Ballybeggan Park for three years from 2000, he was very much involved in organising and running things.”
John O’Keeffe, of Lixnaw, outgoing chairman of the Kerry Greyhound Owners and Breeders Association, said that Patsy Lynch was an expert when it came to clocking greyhounds and the one man you would consult after a course.
“He would always put you on the right path and, with that marvellous man, Johnny Carroll, now gone as well, coursing in Kerry has taken a big double hit,” said John.
“At our own meeting in Lixnaw, Patsy would be the first man to arrive and he’d have his marker in place across the field for the clocking. Whether it was the cup, the trial stakes or the duffers, he’d be totally on top of everything. You often had very bad days, weatherwise, but Patsy never shied away from anything like that.”
The newly-elected chairman of the Kerry Greyhound Owners and Breeders Association, Brendan Maunsell, said that when he was starting out with greyhounds it was great to hear Patsy Lynch giving the results from Tralee Track on Radio Kerry and also to get the previews and reports on the coursing meetings.
“He kept you up to date with everything in the doggy game,” he said. “I found him to be a gentleman always and he will certainly be missed on the coursing scene.”
Patsy Lynch is survived by his wife, who is also Patsy (nee Landers), his son, daughters, sister, brothers and extended family. He was buried in Rath Cemetery, Tralee, on Saturday last following Requiem Mass in St Brendan’s Church, Tralee.