Seamus O’Hare, the Antrim and St John’s stalwart who was a familiar face for thousands of Gaels who passed through the gates of Casement Park, has died.
Hardly a match went by at the west Belfast ground without O’Hare at the turnstiles, while he also performed the same role at Ulster Council matches throughout the province and was a steward at Croke Park among countless positions at all levels of the GAA across six decades.
He was the team attendant for manager Tommy Hall when Antrim won the All-Ireland U21 Football Championship in 1969 and served on various county backroom teams at senior and underage level through the years, including with Mickey Culbert when the St Gall’s man was Antrim senior football manager in the mid-2000s.
O’Hare also fulfilled a number of committee roles at county level, including chairing the football and South Antrim boards. He also served as secretary and chairman of St John’s and was a respected referee in the county for decades.
He was honoured with a GAA President’s award in 2018 in recognition of his life-long contribution to the Association.
The citation read: “Dependability and reliability are the hallmarks of what has been an outstanding lifetime commitment to the GAA by Seamus O’Hare. Working first with the former St Colmcille’s GAA club in east Belfast in the 1950s and subsequently with St John’s, Seamus has been always ready and willing to answer the call where needed.
“Whether that was serving as a widely-respected referee, stewarding at Croke Park, serving on committees or acting as club secretary for several years, his passion for the GAA was in making a contribution that improved his club and the wider association and the positive legacy of this work is in the depth of the respect with which he is held by all who know him.
Receiving the award, O’Hare said he accepted it as “an honour for myself, my family and St John’s, and an honour for the county”.
“I’ve held all these different roles over the years and done them willingly because it is my passion,” he added.
