Carrigtwohill GAA Club and the wider community were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our club president of the last thirteen years, Eddie O’Riordan earlier this week.  We extend our sincerest and heartfelt condolences to Eddie’s family and friends.

Affectionately known as ‘Dano’, Eddie was a dynamic force in the club for many decades.  He attended his first AGM in 1946, as a 12 year old.  Dano gave his final address to the recent AGM on the 8th December.  Incredibly, that was his 77th consecutive AGM.  [Discounting the 2020 AGM, which was held remotely by ‘Zoom’.]

From a very young age Eddie had a great interest in, and love for, the GAA.  Although he honed his hurling skills in the old school yard, in Batt Deasy’s field at Killacloyne and later playing for the club, it was actually as an administrator that he made his biggest contribution to the GAA and to the community of Carrigtwohill.

Dano took on the job of secretary in 1961 during turbulent times with mini crises on and off the field, including serious division between the grounds committee and the body politic of the club.  It was not for the faint-hearted but Eddie served as secretary for seventeen years, by some distance the longest tenure in the club’s history.  The AGMs that Dano presided over started at 2 o’clock on a Sunday and they might not be over until half six.  

The club was at a low ebb, having been permitted by the County Board in 1961 to downgrade from senior to junior status.  As well as managing this transition, there were many other issues to be resolved and Eddie went about addressing those with great energy and enthusiasm.  He was so successful in his leadership, that the club moved forward on many fronts during that time.  Dano was involved in many novel forms of fundraising.  He was the driving force behind the development of the field (what is now ‘Pitch 2’) and old clubrooms.  Eddie was involved in the renewal of the annual dinner dance.

Eddie recognised that the future success of the club depended on the development of our youth.  He set about ensuring that there were good structures in place to look after our juvenile teams.  This was during a time when Carrigtwohill village’s population, at circa 300, was similar to the current number of juvenile players in the club.  Amalgamations were not ‘a thing’, but Dano was instrumental in joining with Aghada, Lisgoold and Erin’s Own in order to field teams.  At a time with very few cars, he oversaw the logistics of ferrying players to matches.

The club benefitted greatly from Eddie’s foresight, winning county minor honours in 1962 and a junior hurling county title in 1966; the first adult county title since 1950.  He returned to serve as secretary once again in 1992 under a sixth different chairman.  Dano also filled the position of registrar/PRO in 1990, chairman in 1980 and secretary of the juvenile club in 1984/1985.  He was chairman of the East Cork juvenile board, county board delegate for ten years and a selector with the Imokilly and Cork junior teams.

Eddie’s enthusiasm for golf was as great as it was for GAA and he was for many years a member of the Munster Press Golfing Society where he served as captain, president and secretary.  He regularly finished among the prizewinners, including several interprovincial titles.  Dano weaved his dual passions into one, when at the 1991 AGM, he suggested that in order to raise much-needed funds for the club, he and others would play 54 holes of golf in a single day with 100 miles between each of three golf courses.  This inventive fundraiser predated the ubiquitous ‘golf classic’ that many clubs now run.  Eddie was synonymous with the golf classic, which has been a significant source of funding to the club for decades.

Dano was a very well known and popular freelance photographer and took photographs of sports events, school occasions etc.  St. Aloysius’ College present the Eddie O’Riordan Sports Star Award annually to the best Leaving Certificate sports student.  Eddie received his own award, when in 2016 he was presented with the inaugural Community Council Award from the Sports & Community Awards for outstanding contribution to Carrigtwohill.

Eddie lived to a ripe old age of 89.  In his latter years, when he was no longer driving, his good friend, John (snr) Buckley would regularly collect him at his front door on the Main Street.  You would rarely attend a Carrig match in West End without seeing John’s black Toyota Yaris perched beneath the new scoreboard at just the right angle for viewing, with Dano and John eagerly watching the fare on Páirc Séamus de Barra.

Dano was a man of vision and one of the best administrators the club has ever known.  Eddie was the heartbeat of the club for so long, inspiring younger members who have since taken up the mantle as instrumental club officers.  His friendly amiable persona and gentle demeanour enabled Dano to become one of the greatest ambassadors Carrigtwohill has had.  Yes, he was strong minded and opinionated but Eddie never held grudges and bounced back when club matters did not go his way.  Dano adored Carrig and only ever strived for the greater good, the betterment of the club.

Eddie was known for saying that he was more happy and content when the club was at peace and there were no deep divisions than he was from the winning of trophies.  He got his just reward in being able to savour the surroundings of the new clubhouse in recent years.  Whenever Dano addressed the room in his capacity as president, he oozed pride in the facilities and emphasised how it was ‘great to have a place of our own.’

Dano was one of our own.  Ní bheidh a leithéid ann arís.

Solas na bhFlaitheas ar a anam uasal.  Leaba i measc na Naomh go raibh agat, Eddie.