Colm Thompson was one of the longest-serving and most devoted officials of Cushendall Golf Club.
An iconic figure during his terms as male club captain and president, he is fondly remembered from both his teaching and golfing days as the ‘man with the steel-tipped heels in his shoes’.
Born Charles Colm Thompson, the third eldest of 11 siblings in a renowned Cushendall family, he qualified as a schoolteacher out of St Joseph’s training college in Belfast.
His first appointment was St Thomas’s secondary school on the nearby Whiterock Road. He then taught at St Aloysius’ in Cushendall and Star of the Sea, Ballycastle, before spending decades as a hugely respected maths and chemistry lecturer at Cross and Passion College. He also enjoyed, while retired, a short subbing spell as chemistry teacher at St MacNissi’s, Garron Tower.
Former Cross and Passion students Orla Wilkinson and her sister Catherine O’Hara recalled when charismatic Colm was in his pomp.
Orla said he was a perfect gentleman: “It is so sad, the passing of a wonderful teacher and human being. You knew he was on his way to the classroom when you heard, from a distance, that clunk-click of his steel-tipped heels on the passageway.
“He was a terrific maths teacher and a very decent man. There was never a cross word from Mr Thompson. A gentle, gentle gentleman.”
Catherine added: “We were at Ballycastle C&P during the 1970s-80s and Mr Tnompson was always great craic. All students in his classes adored him.”
A fervent follower of Ruairí Óg hurling club, where younger brother Brian once excelled as a player, Colm’s other great passion, alongside fellow school teacher Vincent Agnew, was Cushendall Golf Club.
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A low handicap player, he is remembered throughout north Antrim for the magical happenings when he ran the Abbot’s Choice Glens of Antrim Mixed Foursomes, making it one of the most successful local amateur competitions of the 1980s.
Colm was then the club’s male match secretary. A man with a wicked sense of humour, he also had stints as club secretary, assistant greens convenor and entertainments officer. He was male captain in 1972, and male president from 2003-12.
With his wee brother Alex, he was in the 10-man team that won the Ulster GUI Pierce Purcell championship for the first time – reaching the All-Ireland finals in Cork – during Cushendall’s jubilee year of 1988.
Colm was also an influential member of the eight-man ‘Cartel’ that took off for a week of touring fun golf each July.
Vincent Agnew was jointly at the helm during its remarkable 25-year run to courses in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Portugal, Spain and France. He said: “Colm really enjoyed those mad trips. It was special for all of us. He devoted his spare time to the affairs of Cushendall Golf Club – and will be sadly missed by everyone.”
Colm Thompson died aged 88 on June 24 following a short illness. A bachelor, he was a loving brother to Malachy and Martin and the late Mena, Irene, Eamonn, Alex, Kathleen, John, Brian and Kieran.