Benny
Kiely RIP
On
behalf of all in the club we would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the
family and wide circle of friends of the late Benny Kiely, who passed away
unexpectedly on Saturday morning last. It is indeed accurate to say that a sense of
complete shock swept through our parish as word of Benny’s untimely passing
reached us yesterday morning as despite having been diagnosed with his illness
late last year, Benny was undergoing treatment and true to his indominable
personality, was very positive regarding this treatment. The sense of disbelief
at Benny’s sudden passing in our club pales in comparison the absolute sense of
devastation being felt by Dolores, Jack and Michael, Benny’s mother Mary and
his siblings Ian, Darragh, Matty and Mary Catherine and we only hope that the
immediate outpouring of support from the GAA Community, not just in our club
but from across the county and beyond can offer them some comfort in these very
difficult times.
The
Kiely family are of course steeped in the very fabric of our club for
generations as Benny’s late father Michael was a hurler and footballer of
renown for our club in the 1950’s and 60’s contesting numerous County Finals
and like many of his generation playing a key role in establishing the thriving
club we have today. That club spirit was carried on by Michael and Mary’s
children as they donned the club jersey with that same sense of pride, passing
on that legacy to their own children who play for our club today. Benny’s
brother Ian is of course our current Club Chairman and Matty also sits on our
club committee, whilst Benny gave so generously of his time serving the club in
a variety of roles when he finished playing. Benny had a great passion for developing
the future of the club and served as Juvenile Club Chairman in a time where
many of the present adult teams came through the ranks and he was always
willing to help out with First Aid whenever the need arose with any of our club
teams. However, it was his role as team mentor that gave Benny the greatest
sense of pride and indeed enjoyment. He was involved with many Juvenile teams,
most notably with our team that won a County Under 14 A Hurling Title and also
Féile titles in both Hurling and Football. The trips to represent our Club and
County in National Féile competitions brought great enjoyment to Benny and
those who were fortunate enough to travel to those tournaments will dearly
cherish the memories of those weekends, both from the games on the pitch and
the many great enjoyable hours afterwards!
Outside
of GAA, Benny’s great lifelong interest was of course horse racing and in more
recent years he had started playing golf. It is somewhat ironic that Benny
passed away just before the annual Cheltenham festival starts this week. For
many years Benny loved attending race meetings both in Ireland and abroad with
Jack, Michael, his brothers, nephews and his wide circle of friends. From the
local Point to Point meeting to Cheltenham or Tramore to Aintree, Benny loved
everything about horse racing, but nothing more than the time spent discussing
past races or picking future winners, with those closest to him in the many
gatherings which took place before and after the races. No doubt Benny will be
in everyone’s thoughts this week as he would have enjoyed nothing more than
watching all the drama unfold in Cheltenham.
Through
his role in GSK and more recently in Haleon, Benny was a valued colleague to
many in the GAA Community and it is fair to say a very good friend to countless
members of our club. Benny would always do his best to help those from a GAA
background in the factories and often went beyond the call of duty to do so.
His role with the company took Benny to England for a number of years but he
would always keep in touch with everything that was happening in the club and
where ever possible would try to make sure his flights would ensure he didn’t
miss any games at the weekends, as his great passion for our club shone through
at all times.
Whilst
everything we have mentioned previously here was very important to Benny, there
was always only one thing that was the most important to him and that is his
family. Whether it was his regular visits to the homestead in Ballinacourty to
check on his mother Mary or the countless hours he spent traveling to matches
the length and breadth of the county and country, Benny was extremely proud of
and devoted to his family. Of course, his constant rock for more than thirty
years has been his beloved wife, Dolores. Together they were indeed the perfect
team, and they derived enormous and justifiable pride the achievements of Jack
and Michael. They have been practically inseparable for the thirty years of
marriage they were due to celebrate shortly, and they were seen in club and
county pitches across the country, from Fraher Field to Corrigan Park in
Belfast as they took great joy in travelling to see Michael play for his club,
school, college and county. Often the first to arrive at the venues to ensure
they got the best vantage point of the games, no journey was too far for them,
and they got great pride form Michael’s successes with University of Limerick
and Waterford. Despite undergoing treatment lately Benny insisted on going to
support Waterford this year and he attended games in Walsh Park and Nowlan Park
in recent weeks, where he was of course accompanied by Dolores and members of
his adoring family.
All
of those who were fortunate enough to have spent time in Benny’s company down
the years will undoubtedly miss him hugely. He was an absolute gentleman and
one of great principles. He bore his recent diagnosis with enormous humility
and remained positive throughout his recent treatment, something which all who
met him were struck by. This comes as no surprise to those who knew Benny as he
was always one to see the positive and hope in any situation. We will all miss
his warm, caring and outgoing personality greatly and his memory will not fade
easily from any of us. Once again, we send our deepest sympathies to Benny’s
family and friends, but especially to Dolores, Jack and Michael, his mother
Mary and Ian, Darragh, Matty and Mary Catherine. We can only assure you that
the comfort and support of our club will always be there for you all, and hope
it offers you all some solace at this difficult time.
Ar
dheis Dé go raibh a anam dilÃs.
Club Lotto
Our weekly lotto takes place on Tuesday night
next. Next week's Jackpot will be €20,000.
Tickets can be purchased from club sellers and by clicking on the following
link - https://abbeycourtygaa.clubzap.com/categories/lotto/products
Or alternatively scan the QR code below.
