*The late Gerry McNamara.
The death has occurred of Gerry McNamara, Corrovorrin, Ennis and Crusheen.
By Michael O’Connor
Gerry lined out with Crusheen for many years and was involved in a number of championship games when the club came to prominence as a senior team in the 1960s and 1970s and was a life-long member of Crusheen GAA club and one of its most loyal supporters.
Gerry was one of the better-known figures on the Clare GAA circuit mainly through stewarding in Cusack Park and umpiring with referees throughout the county and was always willing to work with anyone who required his services.
His love of Crusheen GAA was matched by very few and bettered by none. He often travelled out to Crusheen to see the teams train and knew players three generations below him. His views on hurling were legendary and one of his best-known sayings included “If we don’t have ground hurling, we don’t have hurling” and “If we don’t keep our traditions alive, we have nothing”.
Former inter-county referee, Seanie McMahon from Newmarket-on-Fergus was one of Gerry’s closest friends and counted on him as one of his loyal umpires for over fifteen years. “I was shocked to hear dear Gerry had passed to his eternal reward. Gerry loved his family, the GAA, playing cards, hunting and singing. He was a proud Shranagaloon man and one of his favourite sayings was ‘For you will never learn anything at home, get out and meet people’. Gerry lived by this belief and loved nothing more than travelling, meeting and talking to anyone who wanted to talk. Gerry was completely honest, which made him a great umpire. Gerry acted with me for over 15 years and also helped out many other referees when needed. His main day was the 2004 Munster senior hurling final as well as a number of county finals we worked together on”.
Seanie goes to refer to another Gerryism, “If you need a solid foundation build from the base, others build from the roof and all collapses”. McMahon recalled that while Gerry was not involved as an umpire with him when officiating the 2010 Clare SHC final it was “so so special” for Gerry as Crusheen were crowned county champions.
Another of his great passions was beagling. He travelled all over Ireland where ever there was a hunt. Places such as Cavan, Kerry and Cork were home to Gerry and those who love the sport. One of his great friends in this passion included two-time All-Ireland SHC winning manager Ger Loughnane and numerous times they went hunting together with their beagles.
Loughnane recalled, “We travelled to Kerry, to Arvagh in Cavan and to Cork to name but a few places. One story I have was we were on a trip to Ballinskelligs in Cork for a hunt and I collected Gerry along with four dogs in the jeep and as we were going into the Limerick tunnel he started singing a song. As Gerry kept singing one of the dogs, a white bitch came up on her own from the back of the jeep curious to the noise and started licking Gerry on the face. He never once blinked and kept singing”.
Gerry’s love of Shranagaloon was also remembered by Loughnane and how he loved hunting with the Fitzgibbon’s and others growing up and travelling all over Ireland in the 1950s and from then on to hunts. The former Clare manager went on to say “Gerry dropped in a CD of songs which he recorded in Miltown in one session. I asked him how did he manage it. His response was swift. A glass of orange and keep going”. Loughnane added, “Gerry loved to go to the big hunts with us but rarely hunted but sang and entertained all with stories and songs. He would then go out on his own to Maghera and the East Clare hills with two or three dogs. He was one of a kind and we will miss him”.
Gerry was famous for his love of singing and could break into song at a moment’s notice and had an innate ability to compose songs about people, places and activities Robbie McMahon and Brendan Vaughan were two well-known Clare people that he composed songs about that are famous in Clare singing clubs and beyond.
He sung all over Ireland from Cork to Derry. Clare singing clubs organisers such as John Condon, Mikey Whelan (Shanaglish), John Madden, Anne Hayes, and Anne Whelan were amongst those who offered their sympathies and remembered their connections to Gerry.
Anne Whelan mentioned that the Ennis Singers Club that was set up by Peadar McNamara in Brandons is 30 years old this year and Gerry was a member from day one. She repeated one of Gerry’s statements about singing, “Any person that considers themselves a singer that isn’t able to write a song about their native place is not worth his weight in sawdust”.
His beloved Crusheen GAA for which he held so much affection for especially when they won the 2010 and 2011 county titles referred to his passing. “All in Crusheen GAA club would like to offer their sympathies to the McNamara family especially Patricia, Sarah, Louise, Darren and Barry in this sad time. Gerry comes from one of the great GAA families of the parish and he never diluted his love of Crusheen and all that the community of Crusheen meant to him. We welcomed him back all the time to our pitch to watch adult and underage games or simply talk to anyone involved in the club. Ar Dheis De ar a anam,” a statement from the club read.
He is survived by his wife Patricia, Daughters Sarah and Louise, son in law Darren and beloved grandson Barry. He will also be missed by his brothers Michael, Kevin and Aidan, nieces, relatives and huge circle of friends throughout Ireland.
