Boyle sport pays emotional tribute to Dessie McLoughlin

Two of the biggest sporting organisations in Boyle have paid tribute to one of their own, Dessie McLoughlin, who passed away suddenly last weekend.

In emotional tributes on social media this week, Boyle GAA Club and Boyle Celtic FC remembered the popular businessman’s input into both clubs on and off the field.

Dessie McLoughlin was a member of the Roscommon minor football championship panel that won the 1981 Connacht championship. He went on to play a pivotal role in numerous Boyle GAA teams throughout the eighties and nineties, including the 1983 and 1996 intermediate championship-winning sides.

Boyle GAA Club, in their tribute, described Dessie as a “Boyle man through and through” and a “stellar sportsman”.

The club recalled how he set up Trojan IT over 35 years ago on Elphin Street in the town and developed the business through his “tireless work ethic and leadership” to make it one of the premier business IT companies in the country.

The club also highlighted how Dessie always “sought to look after the people of Boyle”, always looking to the town first when employing staff.

“After he hung up his boots, Dessie couldn’t just walk away. It wasn’t in his character. He had to continue to help out when and where he could.

“He served his time on the GAA club executive, including a term as the club treasurer. He also coached at many different underage grades, including great U-14 and U-16 teams in the late 90s (accompanied, as he often was, by his good friend Gerry Emmett) and more recently, helping out with a minor panel who narrowly lost a Division One county final in 2021.

“Dessie was still involved in the club in a huge way, currently sitting on the club’s finance committee. His guidance and advice throughout the last number of years has helped the club grow from strength to strength,” he club acknowledged, adding that his “energy and love for Boyle, its clubs and its people will be sorely missed”.

Boyle Celtic described the news of Dessie McLoughlin’s passing as “shocking, heart-breaking, devastating”, adding that he was “the real-life version of the A Team”.

“If you had a problem, he would do anything for you. He was the busiest man in Ireland, but he would find the time, somehow, to help anyone who needed it.” 

The tribute went on to say that Dessie had played in many teams for Boyle Celtic. He also managed underage teams, assisted the committee and sponsored different things for the club down through the years.

The club also acknowledged that so many of Dessie’s staff in Trojan have served as players, coaches and committee members.

“Dessie was a great advisor to the club on fundraising. He’s done so much for charities and sporting organisations for so long and he just knew what would work and get the support from people.

“As many of you will know, he gave donations to all sorts of things, but he generously donated his time. Time is a very rare commodity nowadays, but he gave it away like it was an unlimited supply,” highlighted the club.

Both Boyle GAA Club and Boyle Celtic concluded by expressing their heartfelt sympathy to his wife Margaret, his children Kyle, Ben and Gina, his parents (Martin, RIP, and Nuala), his siblings, his grandchildren and his wider circle of family and friends.