Obituaries designed_Layout 1 31/03/2014 13:28 Page 3
year. Aisling was also involved with the Fr Dalton’s hurling club, of which she was assistant secretary. Indeed, during her time as Fr. Dalton's secretary, she was always extremely helpful to us here when it came to the task of producing the Westmeath GAA Yearbook.
Nora Power (Cullion) Nora, or Nonie as she was affectionately known to family and friends, was a native of Tullamore who was the beloved wife of Westmeath hurling icon Mick Power. Mick gave outstanding service to Cullion and to Westmeath, having served as hurling board chairman during the 1980s when the county came close to breaking into hurling’s elite. Mick and Nonie’s children, Robbie, Philip and Elaine, all wore the Cullion and Westmeath colours in hurling and camogie. Indeed, Nonie was a founding member of the underage camogie club in Cullion where she trained the U12, U14 and U16 teams. Her dedication paid off in 1992 when the Cullion U14s achieved AllIreland Feile glory in Galway. John Robinson (Ballinagore) John and his wife Maureen had 13 children, including Tony, Brendan, Sean and Peter who all played for Ballinagore at different stages and are well-known in local GAA circles. Tony managed the Westmeath ladies minor teams last year. John’s eldest daughter Mary (Clarke) was recently elected the first female secretary of Castletown-Geoghegan hurling club.
Patrick Gibbons (Castlepollard) Patrick had a long association with the local hurling club, going back to the 1960s when he lined out at underage level. He later refereed and umpired games, and contributed greatly to the efficient running of the weekly bingo sessions in the old cinema and in the Castlepollard GAA Centre in more recent times. Castlepollard hurling club members provided a guard of honour for Patrick, who died on June 6 last after an illness bravely borne, at his Funeral Mass. Sean Lynn (Shandonagh) Aged 81, Sean was a highly respected member of the local farming community. He was a familiar face at marts throughout the country, supplying sheep to butchers in both Dublin and Sligo. Apart from farming, he had a great love for Gaelic football and played in his younger days with Emper Reds. He won a JFC medal with the now defunct club before becoming involved with Shandonagh. He was a key player in acquiring the club’s pitch in Kilpatrick and took great pride in seeing his sons Mick, Tom and the late Padraig (Poggy) line out for the club. Poggy, who predeceased his father in 2011, was a former county
footballer who was physical trainer to the Westmeath team that won the Leinster title in 2004. Married to Brigid (Queenie), Sean was provided with a guard of honour by Shandonagh club members at his Funeral Mass. The huge numbers that attended were testament to the high esteem in which he and his family are held.
William Claffey Jnr (Moate) The town of Moate was numbed by the sudden death of William Claffey Jnr during last September’s Phoenix Park Half Marathon in Dublin. The 28-year-old solicitor collapsed around the 11-mile mark and was assisted by other runners before being attended to by the St. John’s Ambulance crew. William played for Moate All-Whites before his studies and career brought him elsewhere. He had been working and living in Dublin. Frank Gavin (Dalystown and Portlaoise) Domiciled in Portlaoise for most of his adult life, Frank hurled for both St. Brigid’s and Westmeath. After his playing career ended, he followed the Lake County through thick and thin, and was a proud man when his native county relieved Laois of their Leinster senior football title a decade ago. Frank, who once had his own band ‘Frankie and the Blue Boys’, was a member of Portlaoise GAA club and a steward at O’Moore Park. He was a brother-in-law of former Westmeath dual star Pat Bradley.
Noel Nugent (Mount Temple and Mullingar) An All-Ireland hurling final umpire on three occasions, Noel was brought up in Mount Temple before moving to Mullingar to work on the railway. He holds the distinction of winning JFC medals with two different clubs – Caulry and Shandonagh in 1969 and ’79 respectively. He instilled his love for the GAA in his son, also Noel, who played hurling with St. Oliver Plunkett’s and football with Mullingar Shamrocks, and his daughter, Sandra, who coached camogie with Plunkett’s. Noel, however, was best known as an umpire for top hurling referee Barry Kelly. Along with Barry and his fellow umpires Seamus O’Brien, Anthony Gavin and Michael Coyle, all of the St. Oliver Plunkett’s club, Noel officiated at many of the biggest hurling games of the past decade, including the 2006, 2008 and 2012 All-Ireland senior finals. He loved being part of the big occasion and was hugely respected among his peers. The Dalton Park resident also umpired football fixtures which Barry refereed. One of these was the 2008 Westmeath SFC final between Castledaly and Garrycastle.
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He also umpired for long-serving Mullingar Shamrocks referee Terry O’Dowd on a number of occasions. It was no surprise to see his friends from the world of refereeing and umpiring provide a guard of honour at his removal last July, which was a fitting tribute to the popular match official. Angela Casey (Moate) Originally from Newtowncashel, Co. Longford, Angela settled in Moate a number of years ago with her family. The young mother’s only son, James, won a minor championship medal with the AllWhites in 2012.
Nuala Nea (Ringtown) Formerly of Trim, Co. Meath, Nuala resided in Ringtown for over a half a century. She was a great supporter of the local club, being a regular promoter of the Ringtown GAA lotto. It was also a source of huge pride to her whenever her sons and grandsons pulled on the famous green and gold striped jersey.
Noel Donoghue (Castletown-Geoghegan) The youngest son in a family of eight, Noel’s sudden death on September 7 came as a massive shock to those who knew him. The Ladestown lad was a strong hurler and played at midfield on the Castletown team which defeated St. Oliver Plunkett’s in the 1998 U14 championship final. Karen Jackson (Mullingar) There was widespread regret in Mullingar at the news of the passing of Karen Jackson, Oaklands on Wednesday, Feburary 19 last. A kidney transplant patient, the 31-year-old hailed from one of Castletown-Geoghegan’s best-known hurling families. Her late father Pat was a legend of Castletown-Geoghegan and Westmeath hurling, and was named on the Westmeath Hurling Team of the Millennium in 2000. Bill Nannery (Kilbeggan and Birmingham) Bill was a former Kilbeggan footballer who returned to be buried in his hometown after living in Birmingham for many years.
George Geraghty (Roscommon and Athlone) A sports all-rounder in his younger days, George is best remembered for being a member of the Roscommon team that lost the 1962 All-Ireland final to Kerry. He lined out at right half forward on that famous occasion. Renowned for his high fielding, he also played for Connacht on a number of occasions and won a Railway Cup medal with the western province in 1958. Having enjoyed success with clubs in Dublin, Mayo and Roscommon, the