DEATH is no stranger to any of us. It seems that never a week passes but we hear of the sad passing of one Gael or another. In late winter/early spring, many clubs remember past members by hosting an annual Mass for deceased members, with the remaining clubs hosting this event in autumn.
Whether it is February or November matters little to those attending. Grief can be a stubborn mule which weighs heavy on the mind, but the memories banked sustain joy and happiness for many years.
Much has been written about the passing of John ‘Beefer’ Morrison which undoubtedly warmed the hearts of his beloved family and which was further recognised by a minute’s silence at the Allianz Football League fixture between Armagh and Tipperary.
In his post-match interview, the Armagh assistant manager, Jim McCorry, a dear friend of John, went further and dedicated the win to his memory. Yet I wonder about the appropriateness of a minute’s silence during a sporting event as a marker of a person’s death.
This mechanism seems to me to engender sad connotations; feelings of loss and of a life cut short, perhaps a life unfulfilled. In GAA terms we often have a minute’s silence to remember people who’ve lived long lives, who’ve long served the association with dignity and pride.
This moment of reflection at
pitchside in the company of many thousands is not a time to mourn. Rather, it is a time to rejoice, to reflect on the difference they’ve made to people’s lives.
To some, it serves as a reminder that we ought to celebrate life. In Italy there is a long tradition of using a round of applause to celebrate somebody’s life. It is not the Irish way, but maybe it is a better way.
I would ask the GAA to reflect on how people are remembered and to celebrate their life with applause rather than to mourn with silence where it is appropriate.
On Monday I attended a workshop in the Armagh City Hotel which brought staff and carers together to explore models of service provision for people with a learning disability.
These events are generally very lively and stimulate fruitful discussion.
By mid-morning the news broke that a young girl had died in a car crash less than five miles from where we sat.
She was nine years of age. It was devastating news. For all we knew she could have been someone close; a friend, a relative.
The news feeds streamed in via the usual channels, so by close of play we knew what school she attended, her nationality, that she was a popular young girl at school.
The local representative providing interviews was Jim Speers, a unionist councillor.
The girl’s name was Patrycja. It is fair to assume this young girl may not be part of the broader GAA family, but what she and her parents had chosen to do was to make this island of Ireland her home.
For me, this is an example of a life lost where people of all shapes and sizes, of different colours and creeds should mourn.
Patrycja was but a child whose potential has been interrupted. We will never know if she could have been Armagh’s next great sporting star, whether she would train to become a caring employee of the Southern Health and Social Care Trust like the many thousands currently in post, or perhaps to be the person who inspired the political class to sort out their differences.
Tragically, as the Cóiste Bodhar rumbled its way through the roads of Armagh, it took with it a young life for whom all society should mourn.
So how does this relate to the GAA? Well, I think it is time the GAA broadened its perspective of the ‘GAA family’ to include not only its paid members and participants past or present, but to include all of the people who live on this island of Ireland.
The GAA was formed as a broadly nationalist organisation, but that hard line has been softened with the deletion of Rule 21 and the modification of Rule 42.
As a young man, I had the pleasure of meeting Jack Boothman, the first Protestant president of the GAA.
He was a fine man and a popular president who believed that our games and ideals ought to be open to everyone. His message resonates greater today than ever before.
In a changing society in which the GAA is highly influential, it is essential that we open our arms to welcome people of all faiths and none, we should encourage people to challenge our current thinking and be open to steering new courses.
The senior people in our association must remain in contact with the pulse of the nation as a whole and not just the faithful. When guiding light gets too far ahead of its people, the people will get lost.
From my perspective as an Armagh man, a young local girl died whose passing we should reflect on with sadness.
Remembering the sad passing of one young girl may be a small step, but it will set the tone for future.
