The Late Hughie Smith.  (Ballinamore Sean O’Heslins GAA)

Members and supporters of the Club were saddened to hear, over the weekend, of the death of Hughie Smith in New York.

Hughie, was born in Corlough Co. Cavan and later lived in Ballynacargy in Co. Westmeath. He moved to Ballinamore in 1966 to serve as an apprentice carpenter with his cousin John Smith at the joinery shop in High St. He played minor for the club that year and graduated on to the Senior team in 1967 along with the likes of “Birdie” Burns and Brian McKiernan.

He went on to win 3-in-a-row Senior Championships in 1967, ’68 & ’69. He also won 5 league medals between 1967 & 1972 along with a further senior championship in 1972.

The 3-in-a-row team of the ‘60s embarked on an historic trip to New York and Boston in 1969, an occasion that will live long in the memory of those who were there.

Renowned as a versatile and stylish footballer, he played at both corner back and at centre half forward for the team. Hughie also represented Leitrim at senior level in both Gaelic Football and Hurling and won a senior club hurling championship with St. Brigids in 1971.

He was also part of the Park committee that undertook to build the new dressing rooms in 1971 and ’72.

There was also an interesting connection that developed later in Hughie’s life. In recent years, by coincidence, our senior men’s team started using the Ballynacargy GAA club pitch as a base to meet up for Championship training. Hughie was delighted to arrive one evening, while home from New York, to meet the Ballinamore players and let them know that the pitch was in fact built on land that was once owned by the Smith family.

A Funeral Mass will take place at Saint Barnabas Church, New York, on Saturday, July 8th, at 11:00am.

Hughie will be brought home to Ireland where he will repose at Smith’s Funeral Home in High St. before returning to his home in Ballynacargy for reposing, Mass & burial. Full details of times for the reposing and burial will be published in due course

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

Brón ar an mbás sé dubh ár gcroíse! The sad news came through this morning of the death of Paddy O’Connor after a long battle with illness. Paddy was for years the “Hurling man” in our midst. A native of Moneygall, technically in Offaly, but a proud Tipperary man when it came to hurling. Paddy promoted hurling in the Ballinamore Seán O’Heslins club for many years and his proudest sporting day was when the club won the Leitrim Senior Hurling Championship in 2015. Another great occasion was when they won an under 14 National Féile na nGael title.

Paddy was involved with Leitrim teams at county level also and he was Cathaoirleach of the Leitrim Hurling Board up until December last. At county level, his most memorable occasion was when Leitrim won the Lory Meagher Cup in 2019. Indeed, Paddy attended Leitrim’s matches in this year’s Lory Meagher Cup against Monaghan and Lancashire.

At club level, Paddy O’Connor filled many roles. He was Rúnaí of Ballinamore Seán O’Heslin’s club from 2002 to 2006 and he was coordinator of the club Lotto until the onset of Covid halted the Lotto.  Fear é a bhí an-spéis sa Ghaeilge aige freisin. The club would like to extend sympathy to Paddy’s wife, Marie, sons Tadhg and Kevin and daughter Carl and extended family.

Dia go deo leis.

Pictured here are Paddy O’Connor and his son Kevin after winning the Leitrim Senior Hurling final in 2015.