| GAA mourns at sudden passing of
two stalwarts The GAA community in Warwickshire is mourning
the death of one of its stalwarts with the passing of John Foley at the
age of 53.
A former player of distinction with Erin Go Bragh and Warwickshire he
was part of the very first county minor team to travel to Ireland representing
the region.
John later served as chairman of Erin Go Bragh, a position he held until
he had to retire due to ill-health at the club’s most recent AGM.
A legal representative by trade, John also served as chairman of the Warwickshire
Minor Board following in the footsteps of his father Tim, a Kerryman who
was one of the founder members of the Warwickshire County Board.
John played a major role in the development of the Holly Lane GAA facility
in Birmingham helping to raise the funds for the development of the Erin
Go Bragh pitch and acting as a director of the club. He was also a past
chairman of the Pairc Na hEireann ground.
When the Warwickshire minors travelled to New York several years ago,
John was one of the main fundraisers for the trip and was a popular and
well-known member of the Irish community in Birmingham.
Two of his sons play football for Erin Go Bragh his son John Patrick
was also part of the Erin Go Bragh hurling team which won the Warwickshire
Senior Hurling Championship for the first time ever in 2006.
The removal will take place on Thursday at 6.30pm in the Abbey church,
Erdington with the funeral Mass taking place on Friday after 11am Mass.
He will be buried in the county jersey of his beloved Kerry football team.
He is survived by his wife Linda, three sons Ben, John Patrick and Tim
and daughter Elizabeth.
n The Gaels of Bros. Pearse and Yorkshire have been stunned by the sudden
death of 49-year-old Tom Finn.
Tom played in the great Bros. Pearse team of the ’70s and ’80s
before emigrating to Canada.
He was also a member of the Yorkshire junior side that played against
Kerry in the 1983 All-Ireland final.
After spending 17 years in Canada, Tom and his family returned home to
Huddersfield four months ago.
The Yorkshire County Board would like to express their sympathy to Tom’s
wife and two teenage sons. |
