GAA fan decided to stay in Dublin just before he drowned
A YOUNG GAA f an who drowned while celebrating his team’s victory at Croke Park only decided to spend the night in Dublin at the last minute.
Andrew Duffy died when he slipped into the Royal Canal near Binn’s Bridge at Phibsboro after watching his beloved Donegal beat Cork to reach the All-Ireland final.
The 24-year-old fell into the water shortly before midnight on Sunday while walking to where he was staying with friends.
He was brought to the nearby Mater Hospital but was pronounced dead at 12.45am.
It is understood that Mr Duffy had taken a bus from his hometown of Termon in Co. Donegal to Dublin on Saturday and had planned to return after the game.
However the young farmer decided to celebrate with his friend Stephen McElwaine, the nephew of former minister Dr Jim McDaid.
Mr McElwaine’s brother’s flat was empty on Sunday night as he was working overnight as a nurse.
Mr Duffy played senior football for the Termon GAA team and was part of a talented young side which had won the All-Ireland Gaeltacht junior championship.
The club said last night that it had been ‘rocked to its core’ by news of Mr Duffy’s death.
Locals say it has cast a dark cloud over celebrations in Donegal where fans were rejoicing in reaching what was only their second All-Ireland final appearance.
Chairman of the Termon GAA club Joe McDaid said Mr Duffy’s death had numbed the community.
‘It has taken the whole shine off Donegal’s win for us. People are thinking about getting tickets for the All-Ireland final but we’re just thinking of poor Andrew and his family. It’s just awful what has happened,’ he said.
‘Andrew was such a lovely young fella and was quiet and modest. He farmed and did a lot of fencing.
‘People are waking up to hear this news and they just can’t believe it has happened.’
His parents, John and Margaret, and sisters Leanne and Caroline were last night being comforted by family and friends.
A special Mass in his memory was attended by hundreds of mourners, including members of the Donegal Senior Football team at St Columba’s Church in Termon last night.
Dr McDaid, a former neighbour and f amily f riend, said he was shocked to hear of the death.
He said: ‘ It is j ust so tragic. Andrew was a lovely young lad and he and his father would have opened my mother’s grave when she passed away.
‘I know the family well and they are very well-respected in the community,’ he said.
A Garda spokesman confirmed yesterday that Mr Duffy was pulled from the water shortly after the alarm was raised. He was declared dead at the Mater and a post-mortem examination was later carried out. Donegal midfielder Neil Gallagher paid tribute to Mr Duffy on Twitter yesterday.
‘Very sorry to hear the sad news about Andrew Duffy from Termon who was up supporting us yesterday and for that tragedy to happen is terrible. RIP.’
A tribute posted on Termon GAA’s Facebook page read: ‘A loving son and brother. A kind and good neighbour. A gentleman.
‘A great loss to the community and Termon GAA Club. One of our own. Rest in Peace Andrew.’
In a statement, the club said that news of Mr Duffy’s death was ‘ heartbreaking’. While s c ant consolation now, the last game of Gaelic football which Andrew saw between Donegal and Cork was one in which so many of the characteristics he himself brought to the game were on show: courage, skill, honesty and work rate were all evident in Croke Park and were always on display when Andrew wore the club colours,’ it said.
‘If you had to pick one person to embody all the positive things in Termon GAA club, Andrew Duffy would have been that person.’
Mr Duffy’s death is the second drowning of an Irish sports fan this summer.
In June, 21-year old Wicklow man James Nolan drowned in the Polish town of Bydgoszcz while following the Irish soccer team at this summer’s Euro 2012 competition.
The engineering student had been travelling with a group of friends and stopped in the town en route to the Ireland v Italy game when he went missing.
It is thought that he had fallen into the water just 500m from the bar where he had been socialising with his friends.
A special prize awarded to Ireland for having the best fans at the tournament was dedicated to Mr Nolan and subsequently presented to his father.