CLG Aodh Ruadh Ballyshannon have issued a touching tribute for one of their late members, Billy Finn.
Billy passed away on Friday, and was laid to rest on Monday.
His passion for hurling was a gift he imparted onto many in Ballyshannon, with ‘The Hurler’s Prayer’ by Seamus Redmond being dedicated to Billy by his friend, John Rooney.
In the touching tribute, Aodh Ruadh say; “Monday saw the club with the melancholy duty of laying to rest one of our most faithful and stalwart members, Billy Finn.
“The news of his passing was received with shock and sadness on Friday and in the intervening period we have been reflecting on a life given in service to others, or more specifically in the service of his great sporting love.
“A true and gentle soul he might have been off the pitch, but as a Kilkenny native the turbulent beauty of hurling was his consuming passion.
“It was a passion he passed on to generations in Ballyshannon as an ardent advocate and evangelist for the game in the town over a number of decades.
“He was a great club man, playing a full role in the all aspects of Aodh Ruadh activity. In particular his camerawork has given the club a priceless archive of interviews with great players and other material from the 1980s and 1990s.
“The steady stream of mourners who made their way from far and near to pay their respects at his home Tonragee, and later to be present at his funeral mass in Saint Patrick’s Church, Ballyshannon before he was laid to rest in the Abbey Cemetery was a testament to the affection in which he was held.
“Indeed no one would have been more surprised by the extent of his fame and the affection in which he was held than Billy himself.
“His long-standing friend, John Rooney, suggested Seamus Redmond’s poem, ‘The Hurler’s Prayer’, summed the man up well.
Grant me O Lord, a hurler’s skill,
With strength of arm and speed of limb,
Unerring eye for the flying ball,
And courage to match whate’er befall,
May my stroke be steady and my aim be true,
My actions manly and my misses few,
No matter what way the game may go,
May I rest in friendship with every foe,
When the final whistle for me has blown,
And I stand at last before God’s judgement throne,
May the great referee when he calls my name,
Say, you hurled like a man; you played the game.
“All our thoughts and prayers are with Billy’s family and many friends at this time.
“Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal.”
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