Ger was a great sportsman

Club, was spectacular to say the least, with between 50 and 60 people on each side of the cortege.

On the right was the green and beige of Mount Wolseley golfers, followed by the green and white of Baltinglass GAA. On the left side was the blue and white of Grange GAA and behind the navy and beige of Baltinglass golfers, where Ger’s wife, Cora, is currently lady captain and where Ger played golf to a very high standard for over 30 years.

The cortege was met at St John The Baptist Church by Fr Andy Leahy, PP Tullow, and Monsignor Brendan Byrne and where 25 to 30 members of Tullow Rugby Club, in their white and maroon shirts and ties, provided a churchside guard of honour for Ger. The music at the funeral was was provided by Caroline Doyle and, fittingly, the soloist was Regina Hanley, with whom Ger sang for a number of years with the Tullow Choir and the Wolseley Singers.

Ger and Cora met at Ger’s first cousin’s Noreen Cullen’s wedding to John Browne in 1979 and they married three years later, living in Downings. Nonetheless, Ger always considered himself a Wicklow man and, on Carlow’s Leinster senior football championship win over The Garden County in July of this year, wasn’t one bit pleased when he received a text while in hospital which read: ‘Good win for Carlow.’

Ger, being one of five brothers – John (Accrington, England, who passed away in 1994), Noel (Dundalk), Bryan (Baltinglass) and Des (Rathvilly) – was no pushover, having forged his working career in the Air Corps. He was pretty much in awe of moving to the country where he and Cora spent all their married life. Slowly, over the next couple of years, he became a true and much loved member of the local Grange community, where he quickly became involved with Grange GAA.

Ger’s first and real sporting passion was golf. If he wasn’t playing the game he was either watching it or talking about it. He played off 3 in his heyday and never above a 7 handicap, winning many Junior Scratch competitions. On Saturday, May 14, he shot a front nine 3 under par representing Mount Wolseley in the Junior Cup at Rathdowney.

He was a very proud captain of Mount Wolseley in 2000 and relished the task. Christy O’Connor Jnr, who passed away suddenly earlier this year, was President that year and so many memories of great and late social occasions are shared by all concerned. One fond memory was in July that year when Christy won the British Senior in Royal County Down and took a helicopter back to Tullow for a celebratory dinner.

During that year, Joe T Ford, Vice Chairman of August National Golf Club, home of the Masters in Georgia, visited The Mount and was dumbstruck at Ger’s knowlege of various Masters and all things in relation to Augusta. Ger also entertained Joe with his lovely tenor voice and the song and chat went on into the early hours. Mr Ford extended an invitation to Ger to visit the world famous course and Ger had hoped to take him up on the offer in his retirement.

Ger’s talented hands were not confined to sport. He loved cooking and was a dab hand in the kitchen. He also undertook woodturning in Dowings for a number of years and sold his handiwork in craft fairs and shows around the area.

Ger and Cora bought Tullow Courier Service in 1992 and Ger served his loyal customers almost every working day for night on 24 years, up to and including the day of his hospital appointment on Tuesday, May 17.

Ger was having a routine check-up when an aneurysm of the aorta was discovered and he was immediately admitted to Waterford University Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery. He was discharaged on two occasions only to suffer setbacks and was readmitted on July 27. He was making wonderful progress in this final admission and fully felt the real road to recovery had begun. He spoke to many of his family and friends on Sunday, August 14, so the phone call bearing news of his passing on August 15 came as a complete and utter shock to all who knew him.

Ger is predeceased by his father Jack – late of Carlow County Council – who passed away in 1994 and his mother Eilish (née Quinn), whose death occurred in 2004, and his brother John.

In a tribute to his dad at the end of his funeral Mass, son Louis said it was his privilege to thank the congregation for their presence and to share some reflections of Ger’s life and times.

Louis said: ‘Over the last few days we have heard so many times that he was an absolute gentleman and, while we all knew it to be true, its still lovely to hear it at a time like this. If there was one consolation over the last few months it was the absolute outpouring of love and affection for dad and we know it gave him great comfort.

‘He was a passionate sportsman with golf and GAA his first sporting loves. He first played Barton Cup golf at the age of 14 and for 50 consecutive years after that, with Baltinglass and Mount Wolseley, and he also won the competition. Sadly his ambition to play 60 Barton Cups won’t be achieved.

‘He was also very proud of his five Wicklow senior football championships with his band of Baltinglass brothers.’

Louis said his dad went on to add his experience and expertise to his adopted Grange, as trainer and selector of the football team for many years.

‘While he had moved to Grange, he never forgot his roots, particularly by way of his rendition of Among The Wicklow Hills.

‘He was passionate about Tullow RFC, was a regular on the line and, to grandad’s delighted, played in an Anderson Cup final. To all these pursuits he brought a wonderful sense of humour and washed it down with the odd pint. But most of all he was a family man, from the lads in Baltinglass to manny, Niamh and myself. He leaves a gaping hold where his huge heart used to be.’ ‘Ni bheid a leitéid ann arís.’ Following funeral Mass, Ger was laid to rest in the adjoining cemetery, with Fr Leahy reciting the final prayers at the graveside.

He is survived by his wife Cora (née Browne), his son Louis, daughter Niamh, brothers Noel, Des and Bryan, nieces, nephews, extended family and a large number of friends.

All that knew and lover Ger are quite sure he has reserved himself a good seat in Amen Corner. May Ger rest in peace.