Death of former Offaly footballer

The death has taken place of an Offaly football hero from the 1960s. Ballinamere man, Peter Daly was a key member of the first great Offaly football side – the squad that won the Leinster Senior Football Championship for the first time in the early 1960s.

Peter Daly won Leinster Senior Football Championship medals with Offaly in 1960 and 1961 and he was centre half forward on the team that lost to Down in the 1961 All-Ireland final.

He was an important member of that team. He played 25 league and championship games for Offaly from 1959 to 1962. He made his debut in a league win over Wicklow in 1959 and his last appearance was a league defeat by Louth in October 1962.

He didn't play in the first Leinster final win, against Louth in 1960 but started at midfield in the earlier championship win over Westmeath and came on as a sub in the All-Ireland semi-final defeat by Down.

He nailed down the centre half forward berth for all Offaly's championship games in 1961 as they went agonisingly close to a first All-Ireland win against Down in front of a record attendance in Croke Park.

He won a Junior Hurling Championship medal with Ballinamere in 1959 and senior hurling with Tullamore the same year. He moved away from home at a young age after joining the Army but continued to play for Ballinamere for a number of years in the 1960s and they appreciated his dedication in an era when they were often struggling to field teams.

Throughout his life, he retained a great interest in his native area and county. After Shane Lowry won the British Open in 2019, Peter and his wife Ann made the long journey up from Clare to Esker Hills Golf Club to join the local celebrations – he told wellwishers that he felt a powerful urge to be up on home turf that evening to celebrate the greatest individual victory by an Offaly man.

A native of Ballykilmurray, he was an Army Colonel and lived in Clarecastle, Clare.  Beloved husband of Ann and proud and loving father of Adrienne, he is also survived by his grandchildren Yasmin, Peter and Steven, great-grandchildren Logan and Scott, son-in-law Carlo, Yasmin's partner Wayne, sister Maura, brothers John and Mal, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, relatives, neighbours and friends.