John O’Mahony remembered as a man who inspired people on and off the pitch

The late John O’Mahony has been remembered as a man who inspired people not just on the pitch but also off it.

In a eulogy at his funeral mass this afternoon at the Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Nathy, in Ballaghaderreen, his daughter Deirdre remembered a man who helped people not just achieve their sporting goals but as a person who provided others with hope.

Taoiseach Simon Harrison, President Michael D Higgins’ aide-de-camp Cpt. Paul O’Donnell and GAA President Jarlath Burns were among the hundreds to attend the funeral of the Gaelic football manager, former TD and Senator, who passed away last Saturday at the age of 71 four years after being diagnosed with myeloma.

In a moving celebration of his life Mass of the Resurrection was celebrated by his brothers Fr Dan and Fr Stephen O’Mahony, his brother-in-law Fr Tommy Towey, and a number of other priests.

“We have heard lots of wonderful tributes. They have talked about his footballing career, mercifully short as it was really only the gateway to his real calling as a coach and as a manager, his teaching, his political career and all his achievements across those disciplines but mostly people have talked about the man, the character and what he meant to people," said his daughter.

She highlighted how her father told her that for people to achieve their goals, they must put in the hard work themselves. Once they commenced that work hard, in the words of his daughter, John would “move mountains” to help people achieve their ambitions.

“You could open the door he would say but they had to walk through it. Once people could articulate that ambition for themselves then he would move mountains to clear the pathway for them to get there. That really kicked into gear when he got into politics because it gave him endless scope to do what he did best; to rally people, to connect, to solve difficult problems and to get things done.” 

Deirdre told the hundreds in attendance of her father’s love for Ballaghaderreen and the people of the area. “He loved his homeplace and the places that adopted him, especially Ballaghaderreen. He was technically a blow in, but was Ballaghaderreen and St. Nathy’s through and through; green and white running through his veins even as he wore other colours on the outside.

“He went on a long walk with my sister Cliodhna last year and talked about how much he loved the town, the countryside, the road he pounded for miles every day meeting people along the way. Most of all he loved the people, their generosity, their loyalty and deep community spirit, " she said.

John is survived by his wife Gerardine and five daughters, Gráinne, Niamh, Rhona, Deirdre and Clíodhna, by his 11 grandchildren, brothers, in-laws, relatives and friends.

The streets of Ballaghaderreen were lined with hundreds of people as several organisations, including Ballaghaderreen GAA, provided guards of honour as he was brought to his final resting place in Kilcolman Cemetery.