Portlaoise family hugely grateful to GAA club after 'nightmare' of son's death

The Portlaoise GAA family and Portlaoise community will gather on Easter Sunday for a special day of events in memory of David Brown whose life was cut short tragically nearly a year ago.

The David Brown Memorial Day will feature exhibition games of hurling and football with the centrepiece being the official opening of the club’s new walking track. 

Central to the day will be the Brown family who lost a son and brother when he fell from a quad bike on Easter Saturday 2023.  His dad James spoke to the Leinster Express /Laois Live about the upcoming and what it will mean for his wife Carmel, son Conor, and his daughter Sarah.

“It will be bittersweet. We were hesitant at first but the club has been so good to us for the past year,” he said.

He said Trumera GAA ran a similar event in memory of the late Adam Kirwan who died in a road accident in Thurles early last year. James believes this was very beneficial for the club, community and Adam’s family. 

He is reluctant to describe Easter Sunday as a celebration of David’s life. While he knows there will be an element of that to it, he sees it more as a day when people who are struggling with David’s loss or other issues can find support in the club and community.

“It is for everybody who is struggling. If it helps someone else that’s what we want and that’s what David would want,” he said.

David was a star young talent nurtured in the Portlaoise GAA club, particularly on the hurling field. His skills saw him selected for Laois and he played a game for the county the day before he died last year.

The club has come into its own on a different level since David passed away. James says that while the family has received great support from the Portlaoise community and Laois GAA, the Portlaoise club has led the way in helping them deal with the loss.

“For us when we go to Rathleague, we will just be thanking the club, thanking everyone. There are so many people there who have wanted to help. Without the club we would have struggled,” he said. More below picture.

David Brown celebrates a Portlaoise win with his dad James in 2022.

James is open in saying that ‘there have been more ups and downs’ in the year since his son died but he and his family know they have been able to continue thanks to the support provided. 

“What can we do but stay going? It’s horrendous - a nightmare really but the support we got from everyone was unbelievable,” he said.

The impact hit James first on the day of the accident as he is a Portlaoise member of the County Laois Fire and Rescue Service for 24 years. He attended the scene of his son’s accident.

“I have seen everything but when you arrive out to your own young lad’s accident it doesn’t get any worse,” he said.

He recalls the funeral as the worst point in the journey since last year. Since then he has got back to work and resumed his fire service duties. The low points have not gone away but he says he and the family have found the strength.

“There are times when you think how can I stay going and then something gets you and you do stay going but we are on a different journey in life now than this time last year,” he said.

James said his son Conor is heavily involved in Gaelic Games with club and county while his daughter Sarah misses him terribly because she and her brother were great friends. He says his wife Carmel struggles but also has great friends who are always calling to the family home.

As time has passed, James has learned more about his son. The stories he’s been told have confirmed to him that David was a special person.

“Someone said to me that for a 15-year-old, David left a legacy that some people would not leave in 70 years. That is what I cling into,” he said.

James says people have told him of how much support David gave to others during his short life.

“He touched a lot of people and for all his talent, he always helped the underdog. A woman from Ratheniska told me that her abiding memory of David was her son coming off the pitch with David’s arm around his telling him to keep going with the hurling,” he said.

While James knows it will be a significant day for the family, he wants the event to be a big day for David’s friends and teammates some of whom may not have met up since his son died.

“It will be good for David’s friends. We are all in this together,” he said.

James knows his son was a sportsman with a special talent but believes that it is important that all young people stay involved in sport for as long as possible because of the value of making friends.

He hopes some of the young people who line out in Rathleague on Easter Sunday and may be doubtful about playing sport will be inspired by the life of David Brown to continue.

“That would be the day covered for me - it would be worth all the tears,” he said. 

Eamon Fennelly is the Chairperson of Portlaoise GAA. He wants Sunday, March 31 to be something for everyone in the town.

“The idea here is that it is a community event and not just Portlaoise GAA and that the community as a whole walks the track in memory of David and in support of the Brown family,” he said.

Proposed itinerary for David Brown Memorial Day - Easter Sunday March 31.

Pitch 4:

• 11am-11.40am: U13 Boys (Football)
• 11.45am-12.15pm: U12 Girls (Football)
• 12.30pm-1pm: U13 Boys (Hurling)

Pitch 5:

• 11am-11.40am: Laois U16 V Portlaoise Minor (Football)
• 11.45am-12.15pm: Portlaoise Minors V Juniors (Ladies Football)
• 12.30pm-1pm: Laois Minor Hurlers 2023 V Portlaoise Minors (Hurling)

1.15:

- Welcome address Portlaoise GAA

- ⁠Laois GAA Address

- Official Opening of Walking Track

1.30-2pm:

Portlaoise Community Walk in memory of David Brown.