Death of a Daingean man who did three stints as Tullamore GAA chairman in different decades
Former footballer won championship medals with Daingean and Tullamore
THE death has taken place of a Daingean native who did three stints as chairman of Tullamore GAA Club in three different decades, over a time span of twenty five years.
A football forward of repute on the club scene in the 1950s and '60s, Martin Fitzpatrick was a well known character in his adopted down of Tullamore.
Predeceased by his wife Rose just last March, Martin Fitzpatrick was a very familiar figure on the GAA and social scene in Tullamore and further afield.
He was a great Offaly GAA supporter, attending football games all over the country and he was a devoted GAA activist.
From Daingean, he was a key figure as they began their ascendancy towards the top of Offaly football in the 1950s. Martin won a Junior Football Championship medal with Daingean in 1953, scoring a crucial first half goal in their final win over Cloghan.
They got back up to senior a year later as they won the Intermediate Football Championship title, beating Erin Rovers comprehensively in the final, 4-9 to 0-7. With a young minor called Tommy Greene (he was an Offaly hero as they won their first Leinster senior football title in 1960 and lost to Down in the 1961 All-Ireland final) alongside him on the half forward line, Martin Fitzpatrick had a “field day” in that final, according to a newspaper report, contributing to the scoresheet.
Daingean continued their great progress in 1955 when they reached the senior football final for the first time since 1942 where they lost to a then dominant Walsh Island – Daingean had won their first and only title, to that time, in 1909. Leading Rhode by 1-4 to 0-2 at half time, Daingean looked set to win when they stormed nine points clear, 2-5 to 0-2 early in the second half. Unfortunately for them, they stopped scoring then and Rhode staged a sensational comeback to win by 2-6 to 2-5.
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Martin Fitzpatrick scored their second half point and then had a goal disallowed for an earlier foul. Daingean would surely have won if that has stood as the famed Casey brothers, Mick and Paddy led the Rhode revival.
That great team sowed the seeds for Daingean's big successes in the 1960s as they won the Senior Football Championship in 1962 and 1965 but by this stage Martin Fitzpatrick had transferred to Tullamore. He captured his own Senior Football Championship medal in 1963 when he was on the Tullamore team that defeated Gracefield by 4-6 to 1-8 in the final and for the closing sixty plus years of his life, he was very much a Tullamore man and associated with that club.
In between Daingean and Tullamore, he was also a key player for St Colman's, an unusual amalgamation of Cappincur and Kilclonfert: it was formed after the mid 1950s thanks to an initiative by a Daingean parish curate Fr Denis Doran, who served as a County Board officer and was the manager of the Offaly team that won their first Leinster senior football title in 1960 and lost to Down in the All-Ireland final a year later – they had an excellent start as they won the Junior and Intermediate Football Championship in 1957 and 1958 and Martin Fitzpatrick was in fine form for them in those successes. It meant that he played senior football with three different clubs – with Daingean emerging as a great senior football force, St Colman's began to struggle as the 1960s wore on and disappeared entirely off the map when Cappincur was reformed in 1971, followed soon by Kilclonfert.
He was also a handball player of note in the 1950s and '60s, winning Offaly championships and serving as chairman of the Offaly Handball County Board in the 1960s.
After the end of his playing career, he immersed himself in Tullamore GAA administration and he was their chairman from 1974 to 1976, 1981-1982 and finally for one year in 1999.
He was a member of the Offaly GAA Supporters Club, helping raise funds for ancillary activities, at different stages from the 1970s into the 1990s and he served on County Board sub committees over the years, most regularly Fixtures and Discipline.
Martin and his wife Rose lived in O'Moore Street at the top of Tullamore and were very familiar figures in the town for decades. He was a painter and decorator for years until retirement and was highly regarded for his work.
Martin got great pleasure from attending Offaly football games, travelling to support them all over the country. Him and two of his great friends, the late Alo Kelly, an Offaly footballer from 1950 to 1960 who passed in 2019, and Noel Clancy, a great character who also died in 2019, made a great endearing threesome as they went to matches, regularly accompanied by Tullamore publican Ray Digan. The three were known fondly as “the last of the Summer wine” and home and away matches were a great day out for them as they socialised with a few drinks after them – enjoying the banter and match conversations with other supporters and regularly including fiercely contested card games of 25 – Martin was an avid card player, playing at various venues for years.
Him and Rose had more than their share of hardship in life as they buried three children, Rosaleen, Geraldine and Marcus.
He remained active until age caught up with him in recent years as he approached the 90 mark but he went the full distance and certainly lived life to the full.
Martin will be sadly missed by his daughter Imelda, son Adrian, son-in-law Frank, grandchildren Iain, Tanya, Belinda, Yvonne, Rebecca, Evan, MacDarragh, Séan, Amanda, Jenny, Mark and Nikki, his great-grandchildren, sister Stella, nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.
He is reposing at O'Reilly's Funeral Home, Harbour Street, Tullamore on Saturday from 5pm until 7pm. Removal on Monday (June 15th) to The Church Of The Assumption Tullamore arriving for Funeral Mass at 1.30pm. Burial afterwards in Clonminch Cemetery Tullamore.