I wept at Croker, not for Cork’s loss, but for Tipp’s ‘16th man’

Well, people are just great, aren’t they?

Ah yes, I cried in Croke Park last Sunday. My tears were not for the Cork team -they came to Dublin to win but never really got going and Tipperary were far better on the day. No need for tears on that account.

Yes, sport can be wonderful, so brilliant; but it can also be so, so cruel.

The cause of my crying came during a magnificent acceptance speech by Tipperary Team captain Ronan Maher. He cited the ‘16th man’ that helped win the All-Ireland for the Premier County. Not the sweeper or the keeper, but Dillon Quirke.

A fantastic young hurler for club and county, Dillon died suddenly whilst playing for his club Clonoulty-Rossmore in 2022. It was a devastating blow for his parents Dan and Hazel and his sisters Shannon and Kellie.

Looking back at his hurling progression over the years, it would have been likely that if he had lived, Dillon would have been on Tipp’s starting 15 against Cork last Sunday.

Alas, that was not to be, but Maher’s tribute emphasised that the spirit and memory of the young sportsman was ever-present with the team.

Manager Liam Cahill said the same, and it is obvious that Dillon’s ‘legacy’ will live on forever in the valley of Slievnamon.

The Dillon Quirke Foundation is an ongoing testament to the young hurler’s popularity and influence on so many. The greatest gift anyone can give is the gift of life, and the Quirke family have done just that again and again.

After the death of their son and brother, the family channelled their grief into a great gift of giving. In setting up the Foundation in Dillon’s memory, they were endeavouring to ensure other families would not go through the awful trauma and tragedy that befell them.

By screening young sports people of 13 to 17 years of age for the signs of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome, many such deaths could be avoided.

Dan Quirke has put his life and future into the Foundation. Already over 10,000 young people have ben screened. The Foundation has made its services available not just to GAA clubs but to all sports catering for young athletes.

Often, after a club or county has lost an important game, a sense of gloom pervades, and then you might hear someone say, ‘Sure, no-one died’ - in this case, young Dillon Quirke died, but remarkably his death has certainly saved many other young lives. The Quirke family are simply great people.

This is Farm Safety Week, and I need only put my hand up to my head and realise I too could have been a statistic in the list of farm fatalities.

Over my left eye there’s a piece of my skull missing as a result of a chainsaw accident a few years back. Twenty stitches were inserted in a wound less than a half inch from my eye - my ‘good’ eye. I made a full recovery, thank God.

They say ‘familiarity breeds contempt’ and nowhere is that truer than on a farm. Whether it’s a tractor, a chainsaw, or some other machine, shortcuts are taken - it’s a busy, busy place on a farm.

After my accident, I bought a full safety outfit for chainsaw work - a boiler suit with padded trousers, gloves, steel-capped boots, goggles, and safety helmet with ear protectors. Yes, I look like a space invader when fully rigged out, but I’m safer.

On the last Sunday of June, I watched an ecumenical church service from Abbeyleix on the television. It was the Annual Embrace Farm Remembrance event.

In 2012, Brian Rohan’s father Liam died as a result of an accident on the family farm. Along with his wife Norma, Brian realised there was no support structure to help those grieving after fatalities and serious injuries on Irish farms.

The Rohans set up the Embrace Farm organisation and over the years close on 700 families have been helped through their loss and pain.

Farming and the construction industry are by far and away the two occupations that annually record the highest number of work accidents. Great credit is due to the Rohans and the other great volunteers who run the organisation.

Awareness is education, and this week is specially dedicated to raising awareness of the dangers of working with machinery and livestock on farms.

This Saturday evening (July 26), I have been invited to do a bit of entertaining in East Cork. A fund-raising concert in aid of Marymount Hospice has been organised for Garryvoe Hotel and ‘yours truly’ is on the bill, as they say.

Since its foundation, the hospice movement has grown rapidly in Ireland. Answering an ever-increasing need in our society, the hospices dotted around the country provide an amazing service. With pain relief and palliative care, the hospice is now an intrinsic and vital part of our healthcare system.

The hospice doctors and nurses are truly angels of mercy in our midst - absolutely great people. Fund-raising for the hospice movement is ongoing - film star Brendan Gleeson is a patron and avid supporter.

“While your illness has defined you as a patient, hospice care looks beyond your illness and sees you as a whole person - with wishes, goals, hobbies and interests,” says Gleeson.

So many people organise fund-raisers, from coffee mornings and sponsored walks to cycles to raise much-needed cash.

Great credit to Therese for putting the show on Saturday night together for a wonderful cause.

Ah yes, truly people are great - in so many ways.

Next November, two friends of mine, John and Liam, will be heading to South Africa for close on two weeks. They are heading off with many other volunteers on the Mellon Educate Building Blitz for 2025.

They’ll be joining an incredible team of volunteers on a life-changing mission to build better futures.

By all accounts, the lads can expect hard work, plenty of laughter, and the unforgettable experience of making a real difference in the lives of children and communities.

Before they set off, John and Liam will have to raise €5,000 each. This will cover all their costs and also make a substantial contribution to the Mellon Building Fund.

In November, the lads will be part of a group doing major works at two schools at Lwandle township in the town of Strand in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Both John and Liam travel to Lourdes annually as voluntary helpers with the Cloyne Pilgrimage- Christianity in action.

I marvel all the time that, despite all the evil, conflict and corruption in this world of ours, good still prevails. So many great and good people go about improving the lot of others with no fuss or bother.

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.

I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.

Love and kindness are never wasted. ...

To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.

Real kindness seeks no return; What return can the world make to rain clouds?