Midleton's Ger Fitz was one of the good ones, why are they always taken from us too early?

Only the good die young, that is a term that could apply to countless numbers taken from us all too prematurely.

In that lengthy list, former Midleton and Cork hurling star, Ger Fitzgerald is now added and whose recent sad passing has cast a huge shadow over the game in the county and far beyond where he was a hugely respected figure.

As a Cork and Midleton hurler, the contribution that he made was immense, following in the illustrious footsteps of his father Paddy who was a key member of that never to be forgotten Cork team that triumphed over Kilkenny on a hugely emotional day in 1966 when a then lengthy famine without an All-Ireland ended.

You could probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of fathers and sons who have achieved that quite remarkable feat and there wasn't a prouder person in Croke Park in 1986 than Paddy when young Ger joined him as a Celtic Cross winner.

He won another four years later as Cork secured the first leg of a historic double in 1990, an achievement that is likely going to be very difficult to repeat again.

Paddy and Ger of course shared the same platform when their beloved Midleton became a very formidable force in Cork hurling, the former as a very successful team manager, the latter as a star player.

The long list of Ger Fitzgerald's accomplishments in a glittering career have been well documented in this newspaper and in many other media outlets and there were so many.

He was just a boy of 19 Summers when Midleton defated the Barrs in the 1983 Cork County senior final with a team containing players who thereafter became household names.

That breakthrough year was just the beginning of the most successful period in the club's great history and five years later the crowning glory arrived when the players on that great team climbed the steps of the Hogan Stand after Midleton had defeated Galway's Athenry to claim the All-Ireland senior club title.

After many disappointments, bagfuls of heartbreak, Midleton had reached the mountain top and Ger Fitzgerald was one of the finest of leaders on that team.

Having been at headquarters that day and on the train back to Midleton that night, it remains a memory that time will not erase.

Ger featured very prominently on many Cork teams that were involved in epic duels with the old foe from the Premier County, with the other great Munster hurling counties too and Kilkenny, of course, and we all vividly remember that great victory of 1992 when he led the county to provincial glory at Pairc Ui Chaoimh when Limerick were defeated.

Ger Fitzgerald always stood out as a forward that made life extremely difficult for opposing defenders, either in the half-forward sector or in the inside line He was one of those type of players that could more than adequately fill any of the six forward positions and his scoring contributions are testament to that.

In the years that followed he was one of those special people who gave back so much of what he had got as a player when he became a coach to Midleton and to the Cork under-21s.

Before and in the aftermath of those games that he was so invested in there was never a refusal to share his thoughts on what had transpired, in winning or in the disappointment of losing he was always available.

Having been in his company on many occasions as a reporter with this newspaper, it was a joy and a privilege to listen to him speak, always fortright, always honest.

We were all aware of the challenges that he faced in recent years with his health but anything that he had to face was done so with the same courage that he exhibited on the field of play.

He was the type of person whose respect for him was widespread and on one of the many condolences accompanying the announcement of his death, one was very telling.

It read : 'Ger was a true gent, a person of great integrity with a great empathy for people who will be sorely missed by all those who knew'.

That is something so many will wholeheartedly agree with.

Ger Fitz touched many lives in the work place, on the field of play and off it and we are all the richer for having had the privilege of knowing him.

Of course, the greatest loss of all is to his family who always were first and foremost in everything that he did and who he cherished.

To all of them we send our deepest sympathy at this hugely difficult time.

And we must sympathise too with his beloved Midleton GAA club who have had to endure so much loss in recent times with the passing of Ger, the much younger Darragh McCarthy and the much older Dave O'Brien.

They all wore the black and white colours with great pride for the club it was their privilege to line out with.

May all three rest peacefully.