Benny
Kiely RIP
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 dilís.
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