Joe Carroll: Passing of a number from Louth GAA ranks

The Grim Reaper never rests. Just days after losing Dan Woods, the Oliver Plunkets club in Drogheda saw the last link with their sole Louth senior championship side severed with the death of Aiden Cullen.

There was also the passing of Tommy Kirk and Jackie Connolly. Tommy had an association with Kilkerley Emmets and St Mochta’s, while Jackie played for, and came from a family synonymous with Dundalk Gaels.

Dan Woods was a leading referee, but like many others from this county, wasn’t given the recognition he deserved at national level. He had charge of two senior county finals, in 1992 (Cooley Kickhams v St Mary’s), and 1979 (Young Irelands v Cooley Kickhams), and the intermediate final between neighbours, St Mochta’s and St Bride’s.

He was also a long-time representative of the Plunkets club at County Board level, and had a spell as one of the Board’s vice-chairmen.

There’s a mention of Plunkets’ best-ever championship win elsewhere on these pages. It came in the historic year of 1957, and a pivotal figure in the defeat of St Mary’s in the final was Monaghan-born Aiden Cullen, playing at left half-forward. He vied for a place on the Louth team when competition was at its fiercest, lining out on the forty in the 1958/’59 league against Roscommon and Galway, and later playing against Westmeath in the O’Byrne Cup.

Gaels from around the county attended the Requiem Mass and burial of Tommy Kirk in Louth Village on Sunday morning. Chief mourners were his wife, Bernie (whose late father, Peter, had a lifelong association with Louth GAA), his children and brothers, Patsy, John and Peter, who, like Tommy and the late Joey and Francie, played with Kilkerley.

Jackie Connolly’s came from a family steeped in the Dundalk Gaels tradition.

His father, Denis, was chairman for a number of years, and also had charge of under-age teams. Jackie played with the club, but fair to say his main interest centred on hurling, in particular the Cork team. His son was a regular on the Louth team over many seasons.