FOR 20 years following his retirement as a librarian, Joe Canning of Mountnorris, Co Armagh was a central figure in one of Ireland's most important cultural and literary institutions, the Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich Memorial Library and Archive.
Before that, he was a prominent member of the Armagh Diocesan Historical Society, notably through its journal Seanchas Ard Mhacha, contributing articles, giving lectures and organising annual outings to places of historical interest in Ireland, Britain and Europe.
But he is perhaps most widely known throughout Co Armagh as a GAA official, having served as treasurer to the county board from 1971-91 and being an important personality in the rise of the Armagh senior team in the seventies and early eighties.
Joe was born in 1931 to Charlie and Winnie Canning of Steeplehill, Mountnorris and attended primary school in St Teresa's, Tullyherron before boarding at St Patrick’s College, Armagh, where his uncle Fr Tom Rafferty was president.
He joined the Vincentian order for several years, gaining a BA in the classics, and later studied in St Joseph’s teacher training college in Belfast - travelling on the bus with Seamus Mallon.
He taught in various schools including St Columba’s PS in Portadown before finding his true calling as a librarian, qualifying in London and spending the rest of his working years in the Irish and Local Studies Section of the Southern Education and Library Board.
The Ó Fiaich Library and Archive was the brainchild of Mgr Raymond Murray, long-time editor and powerhouse of Seanchas Ard Mhacha.
He felt that as a natural extension of the work of the Armagh Diocesan Historical Society, a purpose-built home was needed not merely for the academic papers and books of the late cardinal, founder member of the society in 1953, but for an ever growing local body of related works of Irish history, the Irish language, GAA, literature, and the Irish-European dynamic.
Because of Joe’s expertise as a librarian and historian, it was only natural he would be called upon to play a major role in the huge project, which was opened in 1999 by Cardinal Sean Brady.
Director Roddy Hegarty described Joe as the heartbeat of the library throughout his two decades as a full-time voluntary official, where his intimate knowledge and focus helped make it into a genuine national and international seat of learning.
It now contains 40,000 published volumes, 450 ongoing periodicals and a million documents. During one year, researchers arrived from 15 countries.
Three events in Irish history were inspirational in the life of Joe Canning.
The most immediate was the great Irish cultural rising in the latter half of the nineteenth century when, out the dark ages of the penal laws and the destruction of the native culture, this immense affirmation saw the foundation of the GAA, the Gaelic League, the collections of Irish mythology, the rise of great literature, the outstanding collections of Irish traditional music and the later collections of song.
Before this was the memory of the great monastic School of Armagh from the sixth to the ninth century, when Ireland was an authentic world centre of intellect and art.
And third was the inspiration of the celebrated Anglican Archbishop of Armagh Richard Robinson (1708-1794), whose ambition was to make the city ‘another Oxford’ in memory of the monastic school. Many of its great buildings such as the famous library and observatory belong to his creative ambitions.
In the Ó Fiaich Library, Joe worked to shape new aspects of the journey and memory of a people - a bearer of that memory for the benefit of all. That was his calling and satisfaction.
Joe was also a well established GAA figure in Armagh and throughout Ireland.
His active interest began as secretary to the St Killian’s club in Whitecross in the early sixties.
He was elected treasurer of Armagh County Board in 1971 and became a central figure as the county reached the All-Ireland Senior Football Final in 1977 and won three Ulster titles.
His sheer organisational abilities were a mainstay of progress - in charge of transport, accommodation, meals, drivers, jerseys and so on.
But equally important was his capacity for bonding players into a unit and treating everyone as equals.
Joe was renowned for his calm in times of tension. Even in the white heat of a championship game, his most aggressive expletive never surpassed "For goodness sake!"
His energy, vision, all-round ability, deep convictions and gentlemanly approach made him a very respected person. In the words of county board chairman Mickey Savage when conferring on him the presidency of Armagh GAA in 2020, he was "a man of utter integrity and honesty".
Joe was also made president of his native Whitecross club.
Although he never formally said it, it seems that his life’s work was nothing less than an endeavour ‘To Make Armagh Great Again’.
Perhaps all was best summed up by Anne Garvey, a relative, who stated that he "never wasted a moment in his long and happy life".
Joe Canning died on June 16 and a guard of honour involving the St Killian’s club and members of the Armagh County Board, along with Armagh footballers from the seventies organised by Jimmy Smyth, lined up outside St Teresa's, Tullyheron for his requiem Mass.
He is survived by his sister Angela, brother Francis, nieces Mary, Una and Margaret and nephews Garrett and Terence.
Peter Makem