End of an era in Meath as ‘49 hero passes

THE curtain came down on a glorious era for Meath football with the death of the great Frankie Byrne last Friday.

Frankie, who was 94, was the last surviving member of the Meath 1949 side that brought the Sam Maguire to the county for the very first time.

A native of Navan and a former Navan O’Mahony’s clubman, he had resided in Clontarf in Dublin for many years.

Frankie played on the Meath team with distinction between 1943 and 1955, helping the county to All-Ireland titles in 1949 and 1954. He also lined out for Leinster a number of times during those years and played a role in another golden era for football in the Royal County when part of Sean Boylan’s backroom team.

He was also heavily involved in GAA coaching at national level and was part of Jimmy Magee’s All Stars for 30 years.

He came to the attention of the Meath senior selectors at 19 years of age and made his Leinster SFC debut at centrefield against Louth in Drogheda in 1943.

Byrne won his first Leinster SFC medal in 1947, when Laois were defeated in the final. He then played a vital role in the memorable 1-10 to 1-6 final victory over Cavan in the 1949 All-Ireland Senior Football Final, scoring four points from frees.

He retired from intercounty football in 1953 but was drafted back into the panel for Meath’s second All-Ireland win in 1954.

On the club scene Frankie won Meath Senior Championship medals with Parnells in 1946 and Navan O’Mahony’s in 1953.

A minute’s silence was observed as a mark of respect at Sunday’s Meath versus Armagh NFL match in Pairc Tailteann.

Frankie’s funeral mass will take place this morning (Tuesday) in St John the Baptist Church, Clontarf Road, Dublin, at 10am, followed by burial in St Fintan’s Cemetery, Sutton.

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