Paudie Palmer pays tribute to Valley Rovers club legend Denis O'Riordan

UNFORTUNATELY, death is an integral part of the cycle of life.

No doubt, in any given week, families all over the country have to face this aspect of our very existence. As in life, it comes in a number of forms, sudden, tragic and it some cases expected.

You don’t need to be reminded, that this scribe spends an amount of his time breathing inside the GAA bubble and as a consequence has the pleasure of meeting people who have and are making a real difference. 

One such individual is fellow parishioner Denis O’Riordan, who on Friday of last week was called to the great stadium in the sky. The news, though expected, as Denis had been battling for the past few weeks was first and foremost a challenge for his most loving family but for many around these parts, it came with the realisation that one of our compass operators was no more. 

Denis' journey into our lives could be connected to the construction of the ESB generating station at Inniscarra. This awesome project involved flooding of some land adjacent to River Lee in certain parts of mid-Cork. 

The O’Riordan farm in the Gearagh was one such holding and as a consequence, they moved from there and purchased a farm in Ballinacurra in the northern part of Innishannon parish when Denis was 11-years-old. It could be mentioned, that it was a case of Kilmichael’s loss being Valley Rovers' gain.

In the ’50s and ’60s, GAA activity was nowhere near what is today and playing opportunities were rather limited.  Denis did play but his awesome contribution to the GAA was in the area of administration. 

For well over 50 years, he was a club executive member and was a vice-president at the time of his passing. He was club treasurer for 14 years and his meticulous level of organisation was so evident during this time. 

He was a founding member of the club lotto over 22 years ago and up to him stepping down in 2021, he was the main driving force, the largest ticket seller and the chief administrator. 

One could count on one hand, the times that he missed calling to the various hospitality outlets around the parish on a Sunday night to carry out the duties associated with this programme. 

Those who worked with him in this or indeed any other activity were left in no doubt as to his insistence on maintaining high standards.

He was the club delegate to the South East Board for 11 years prior to taking up the position of County Board delegate. 

For 32 years, until he vacated the post in 2021, he represented his beloved club in a most professional manner and it was no coincidence that so many games were fixed initially at the club's facilities in Innishannon and latterly at the Brinny complex.

On these match days, he led a seriously hard-working group of volunteers, ensuring the smooth running of the events.

He served on the executive of Cork County Board for a long number of years.  His organisational and logistical skills were recognised by senior officers when he was appointed as Events Controller at Páirc Uí Chaoimh and for other events such as All-Ireland homecomings for a number of years.

One of his early working positions saw him employed as an AI man at South Western Cattle Breeding Service a company that later became the very successful South Western Services. 

After awhile in this position, he was promoted and for the remainder of his working life, he had responsibility among others for land leasing as well as arranging for animals to be transported to various meat factories. His period of employment was all of 47 years. 

Again, his organisational and logistical skills were so evident as well as his sense of empathy for his customers.

Denis was popular among the farming community and there is many a farm family throughout the county that are indebted to him for his sense of pragmatism and practicality that he brought to some rather delicate situations. 

INTEGRITY

Through his life, whether through work or with his large GAA voluntary activity, he was guided by a huge sense of integrity, honesty, loyalty and practicality. 

If one could search the fault vault, it would show that Denis' favourite colour was certainly not grey. He was a black or white man in the most positive sense of that term.

Aside from, family, work and GAA, he did find time on Friday nights to play cards in Coachford, but even then his Valley Rovers hat was in evidence. Those, who attended, had to factor extra €1.50 in their budget to purchase a Valley Rovers Lotto ticket; they did it without complaint.

His impact on so many people throughout his successful life was acknowledged by the huge crowds that visited the family home on Saturday and Sunday last. 

It was indeed fitting as he was carried on his last journey from Knockavilla Church on Monday up the hill to the adjoining cemetery, that members of Valley Rovers club formed a respected guard of honour to the man who had devoted a huge part of his life to this organisation. 

The graveyard was at maximum capacity as his coffin was lowered into the soiled his final resting place.

So many of us will miss him but none more so than his beloved family and did he adore them.

To his wife Mary a member of the Foley family from Timoleague, his children, Maria, Caroline, Trish, Ciáran and Áine, sister Margaret and brother Eugene as well the real apples in his eyes, his 10 grandchildren, we extend the sympathies of this column. 

Yes, he was one mighty man!