There’s always hope in face of tragedy
John O’Dowd spoke to Legion senior team manager Stephen Stack about the tragic death of Damien Lyne, his thoughts on if and when the football season might resume and plenty more football talk besides
LIKE all GAA clubs that are immersed in the heart and soul of their local communities, Killarney Legion has enjoyed its fair share of glorious, successful days when the sun is shining brightly, as well as moments of deep sadness when the clouds remain extremely dark and gloomy.
Indeed, last December, after they triumphantly ended a 43-year wait to win their fifth East Kerry (O’Donoghue Cup) senior football championship title, manager Stephen Stack did not allow the occasion to pass without remembering those who were no longer around to witness the denouement of such a long drought for the famed Killarney outfit.
“I also couldn’t pay a big enough tribute to the memories of Weeshie Fogarty and Niall McGillicuddy. We never forgot them. From the very first time that we took to the field this year we had a little routine before and after training. I would say that for 150 sessions they were always on our minds,” he said in the immediate aftermath of their magnificent 1-18 to 3-6 victory over their near neighbours and closest rivals, Dr Crokes.
Weeshie and Niall. Loved ones now gone, inextricably linked to Legion GAA
Club. Now, in the midst of this dreaded Covid-19 Pandemic, you can add the much cherished name of Damien Lyne.
In the early hours of Good Friday morning, April 10, the 25-year-old died in a tragic accident. The Lyne family of Cleeney were hit with unimaginable heartache and sorrow. As were friends, neighbours, and the members of his local GAA club.
For parents Geraldine and Denis, siblings Jonathan and Denise, and girlfriend Tara, they have lost their shining beacon. Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam is now without a trusted and respected English teacher. Saigon Gaels and, of course, Legion GAA, are in mourning.
On Easter Monday, hundreds of neighbours and club members lined the route from the Lyne household to St Mary’s Cathedral for Damien’s funeral. Later that night at 9pm, a call out on social media led to homes in the locality lighting candles in their windows in memory of a beloved character.
The following evening, the No.5 green and white jersey was laid out on the football pitch at Dirreen with a green and white flag, and surrounded by lit candles to ‘Shine A Light’ in support of a bereaved family at this moment of utter devastation and grief.
Legion manager Stephen Stack says that Damien Lyne was a special individual.
“First of all, from speaking to his coaches in the club at underage, Damien was a fantastic footballer. He then went and played in Vietnam with Saigon Gaels. He really loved life, even though he was only here for a short amount of time,” he said.
“It’s such an awful blow for Jonathan and all the Lyne family. Last year we also had the very sad passing of Weeshie and Niall McGillicuddy. Everybody just rallied around, there is a great spirit in the club, and there was a guard of honour by supporters and players, respecting the current social distancing rules of course.
“The family really appreciated that, and I have to say the Gardai were sympathetic to the situation. It would have been mentally awful if everybody hadn’t been allowed to pay their respects to Damien in a safe way. There was a huge amount of common sense applied, which was very important in the circumstances.
“People in the club have really rallied around the family and each other, as they have done in the previous tragedies.
“Jonathan gave a beautiful eulogy on his brother. He was very honest on the type of person that Damien was, how he was such a social character, the huge circle of friends that enveloped him, the way he always reached out to people, he was just very popular. Even though he still had so much left to give, he had also achieved so much already.
“It was really lovely how Jonathan celebrated such a very well fulfilled life.”
Of course, life has to move on, and while everything appears to be at a standstill as the Coronavirus wreaks havoc in Ireland and throughout the world, the GAA must prepare for an eventual return to action at some stage. But will there be any inter-county championship at all in 2020?
“It’s very hard to call it at this stage. My brother Billy works in the medical profession. He is a consultant gastroenterologist in the Bons Secours in Cork,” said Stack.
“I actually got him to do a conference call with the staff in AIB in Tralee, and with the Legion players. Every young person thinks they are bulletproof. Billy did a Q&A for 30 or 40 minutes, just giving the lads a different perspective on things, bringing them up to speed on the latest at the frontline, covering the risks and best practices.
“We have to be led and said by the medical profession. This virus is new and is very infectious. It can be lethal for those with an underlying illness. Most players are fit and healthy, but they all have parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, other relatives. Social distancing is very important so, of course, there is an element of risk involved on a football field.
“Would the benefit of going back playing, even at club level, outweigh the risk to people’s health? The priority has to be the saving of lives. Sport is sport. It is not life. We have to think of the vulnerable.
“I would love to see clubs back in action if there was a way to do it. You would have to keep out of the dressingrooms. I remember when I used to play soccer for Listowel Celtic back in the day, we would arrive at the pitch in our cars all togged out, play the match, and then go straight home covered in mud, and change out of our gear and then shower.
“That could be one way of doing it.
But then, when you have 30 players on a pitch, of course there is going to be a lot of close contact. Everybody is conscious of that,” stressed the Branch Manager of AIB Tralee.
With mass gatherings of over 5,000 banned in Ireland until the end of August, that appears to give the clubs a better opportunity of getting their show back on the road ahead of the more problematic inter-county season.
“That does give you a bit of hope alright. From a Legion point of view, we have a great management team, and I am working particularly closely with Pat Flanagan, as well as Tomas, Enda and Peter. At the moment, we are looking at it primarily from the view of the players’ well-being.
“Having a regular training structure is vital for their mental well-being. We don’t know when we will be back but we are staying close to the lads, staying connected, and coming up with all sorts of different ways to keep them motivated.”
Legion haven’t kicked a ball in anger since the opening Sunday of the County League on March 8 when they travelled to Gallarus and came away with a 2-7 to 1-5 victory over An Ghaeltacht. As a Division One outfit and a County Championship team, have they had any feedback from the County Board on any possible return-to-play scenarios?
“Whatever was going to happen, Peter
Twiss said a few weeks ago that clubs would be given a lead-in time of two or three weeks before they would start playing matches. Would that still be possible the longer the wait goes on?
“At least it gave you an early sense of the County Board’s thinking. Obviously though, certain competitions will have to be prioritised.
“(Chairman) Tim Murphy said last week that the county senior championship would be the first priority. And then the Divisional Board championships at the end of the year are probably sacrosanct.
“Then it’s Club Championships or County Leagues? I would have been thinking that still going to be going ahead either. “But, to be fair, Garvey’s have always been great sponsors, and the county championships are the blue riband of the GAA in Kerry, so you can understand why they are first choice to get completed. “Everything is pure speculation at this stage. To be fair, we don’t have any expectations of the County Board, or Croke Park, or even the Government right now. It’s the medical people who will make all the calls at the end of the day,” admitted the 1997 All-Ireland medal-winner.
“But it appears that the Kerry County Board are looking very constructively at many possible scenarios.”