Tributes paid to council official and Rovers man Brendan Byrne
HEARTFELT TRIBUTES PAID TO DONEGAL NATIVE WHO GAVE SO MUCH OF HIS LIFE TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND HIS BELOVED SLIGO ROVERS
He was a Donegal man who made Sligo his home and it was with great sadness that the town learned last Monday of his untimely passing.
The retired County Secretary was a much loved and respected figure in local government for many years and it was also his sterling work as a volunteer member of Sligo Rovers that he will also be fondly remembered for.
His funeral took place on Friday to Sligo Cemetery following Mass at 11am at St Anne’s Church.
Softly spoken Brendan devoted almost all of his spare time to the club he cherished and adored and his fundraising efforts were unstinting and will be greatly missed.
Brendan of Tonaphubble, Sligo and formerly of Templedouglas, Letterkenny had a long career in public service, his first post was with Donegal County Council in 1948 and he joined Sligo County Council on 1st June 1960 and would serve as County Secretary and Deputy County Manager. He retired on 5th March 1993 after 44 years of service.
A Feature on Brendan Byrne in The Sligo Champion in April 2013 described him as ‘ The Donegal man who has given a life- time of service to Sligo Rovers.’
With Brendan’s passing on Monday, the club is mourning the sad loss of one of its most dedicated volunteers.
Brendan served the club in many capacities, including club Chairman. He started going to the Showgrounds in 1950, to watch his brother- in - law Frank McMorrow play in goals for Rovers. Brendan would go on to play twice for Rovers, once under his own name and once under an assumed name which wasn’t unusual in those days. He also played for Swilly Rovers.
In the late sixties, Brendan played a key role in securing The Showgrounds working with Ray Gallagher and the late John Fallon, then Club Chairman.
When a collection was organised to pay back a bank loan for the purchase of the ground, without fail Brendan called door- to- door every week on his rota of St Joseph’s, St Brigid’s and Mail Coach Road.
In later years Rovers supporters would know Brendan as a committed fund- raiser, playing a major role in one of the club’s most successful and enduring fund- raising initiatives, the 500 Club.
He also travelled all over the county selling tickets for the annual draw.
Like his great friend and equally prolific fund- raiser, the late Packie McGowan, it is impossible to quantify how much Brendan earned for the club over the years, but it was certainly significant.
It is fitting that Brendan was still selling tickets for his beloved Rovers up to recent weeks, showing a passion and enthusiasm for the club that was an inspiration for everyone who was privileged to know him.
Sligo Rovers extends its deepest sympathies to Brendan’s daughters Majella, Deirdre and Jane, and to his extended family and many friends.
There have been many tributes paid to Brendan on social media from players and fans.
Rafael Cretaro said he was shocked to hear of the passing of Brendan who he described as a Sligo Rovers man through and through.
Former club PRO, Keith O’Dwyer said: “It is a sad day for Sligo Rovers with the passing of Brendan Byrne. I was very lucky to have known him for a long time and indeed he was a friend of the family from his long service with Sligo County Council.
“A passionate and dedicated football man, he was a junior football player of some renown but for all associated with the Showgrounds it was his involvement with Rovers that we knew him for.
“I first got to know him properly when we were both involved on the Sligo Rovers Youth Committee and from the start I was impressed with his intelligence and good nature.
“He was retired by then but that allowed him to spend more time at his real passion. A former chairman of the club, he set an example to us all with his work ethic and would often be out at night on the weekend selling lotto tickets.
“His legacy to the club is the 500 Club of which he was a founding member and he personally went door to door signing people up and collecting money. Another great servant of club gone to his eternal reward, what a contribution he made, may he Rest in Peace.”
Brendan was also a close friend of St. Anne’s parish priest, Fr Dominic Gillooly, who described him as a “beloved and loved father” whose death has shook has shook the whole of Sligo. Brendan’s daughter, Majella, delivered the eulogy at his funeral, saying it was a time to celebrate her father’s life. She said that when her father moved to Sligo 55 years ago, he had only planned on staying a year, but then he met her mother, Betty.
“Dad lived life to the very full, and his influence is felt throughout his whole extended family. He died peacefully and God surely wrote the perfect script,” Majella said.
“When mam died four years ago, dad was heartbroken, but the love he had for his two grandchildren filled the void that she left.”
Majella also paid tribute to the importance of Sligo Rovers in his life and the friends he made through the club. Players delivered a guard of honour at his funeral. Majella said: “The development of the grounds and the club was vital to him. He made wonderful friends at the club and I want to pay many thanks to them.” She also thanked her father’s friends at Sligo County Council and his neighbours in Tonaphubble who always left their doors open for him. She ended the eulogy echoing words her father often said in his “strong Donegal accent that got broader by the day”: “Right so, off we go. Good night.”
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.
A BELOVED AND LOVED FATHER WHOSE DEATH HAS SHOOK THE WHOLE OF SLIGO