SENSELESS LOSS OF LIFE
LATE DETECTIVE GARDA WAS A VALUED AND TREASURED MEMBER OF HIS LOCAL AREA
GAA is a huge part of life in Charlestown which nestles on the Sligo/Mayo border.
The local club, Charlestown Sarsfields, are part and parcel of life here; and Detective Garda Horkan was a vital cog in the workings of the club, as a player in his earlier years and in more recent times as a volunteer and coach.
He was a Mayo Senior Football Championship medallist with the club in 2001; and only last week had recorded a podcast with other members of that successful team to reminisce on those glory days.
“Hugely involved with the GAA club right from underage level right the way up through to senior,” says Alan Crean, owner of Aston Crean in the town, a company specialising in flooring, tiling and carpet.
“He played a major part in our success in winning a county title in 2001 and he remained involved with different levels in the club ever since.
“Fundraising, stewardship, training, everything like that so he had a huge impact on our GAA club over the years.
“He’d recently completed a podcast as well only in the last number of days. The club had started creating podcasts during lockdown for a bit of entertainment and only in the last number of days he had only done one with one of the members of that county winning side.” Mr Crean explained.
36 hours after the news had broken, the loss of Detective Garda Horkan was beginning to sink in for many in the area.
“I haven’t seen the town at a low ebb quite like this that I can ever recall to be quite honest,” Mr Crean said.
“Everybody is in utter shock really and I suppose it is because it’s such a tragedy and because Colm was such an extremely popular guy, he knew everybody.
“He treated everybody the same, greeted everybody with a smile, a lovely character, a lovely man and extremely well respected no matter who you’d speak to, young or old. “Utter shock, utter disbelief, a huge amount of deep sadness, sense of loss for such a man like Colm. Complete shock to be quite honest, nobody could quite believe what they were hearing and reading. Just such a senseless loss of life.” At the home of Charlestown GAA , Father O’Hara Park, a tricolour flew at half mast.