Thousands bid farewell to GAA legend

TO the thousands of admirers that came from across the country to pay their final respects, he was Tim Kennelly, the powerful, battle-hardened Kerry footballer and winner of five All-Ireland medals.

Kennelly was a man that enjoyed it best when the going was toughest.

He was a hero to them all.

At the end of the requiem mass in Listowel on Saturday, his sons, Noel and Tadhg, paid moving tributes. They remembered him as someone who was always there for them.

“We loved you, dad,” said Noel, his voice trembling, and the overflow congregation burst into applause.

Mr Kennelly died last Tuesday from a heart attack, aged 51. He was the first member of arguably the greatest team of all time to die.

Listowel came to a standstill and some of the most famous personalities in Gaelic football were there to accord him an impressive farewell.

The fact that 11 priests concelebrated the Mass was a “great sign of any man”, Noel observed.

Among the mourners were those who played alongside the centre-back in the 1970s and 80s - Jack O’Shea, Mikey Sheehy, Páidí Ó Sé, their manager, Mick O’Dwyer, and a host of others.

There, too, were Dublin players from that era - full-blooded opponents who became friends - including Paddy Cullen, Tony Hanahoe, Bernard Brogan and Jimmy Keaveney. Two former Cork players present were Denny Allen and Coleman Corrigan.

Current Armagh manager Joe Kernan and former rugby international Moss Keane were also there, as were Matt and Richie Connor and Seamus Darby, from Offaly.

“There’s a full house for us, dad,” began Tadhg Kennelly, as he looked around the crowed church. A light ripple of laughter flowed from the pews, bringing a touch of levity to an otherwise sombre day.

Tadhg, who plays Austrialian Rules Football with Sydney Swans, recalled how his father had tried many things during his life, including horse training and greyhound racing. He took part in politics through canvassing with his friend and former team-mate Jimmy Deenihan, a Fine Gael TD for Kerry North.

“There were a few things he always tried to instil in Noel and I as footballers,” Tadhg continued.

“One was that we should take our hands off our hips. Having hands on hips would show a sign of weakness to opponents, or that you were tired. He used also say: ‘God didn’t give you elbows to pick your nose with, so use them boy’.’’

Noel Kennelly remembered a father who was a hero to many people and also a hero to his family.

“To many, he was known as the great Tim Kennelly, the ‘legend’ and the ‘horse’, but, to mom, he was a husband and best friend and, to us, he was the best dad ever. He inspired us, touched us and helped us. So many other people experienced the same qualities in him.

“Perhaps the best way to describe him is being fair, honest and hard, but he was also a great family man.”

A lone piper led the cortege on the one-mile journey to John Paul Cemetery. The hearse was flanked by a GAA honour guard including some of the great names of Gaelic football, members of Kerry County Board, Feale Rangers and the Listowel Emmets club.

The hearse stopped briefly outside the pub in William Street once run by Mr Kennelly.

Graveside tributes were given by Jimmy Deenihan and another former Kerry player, Stephen Stack of Listowel Emmets.

Mr Deenihan said Mr Kennelly was a pillar of the great Kerry side, always the man to lift the team when the pressure was greatest.

“Football was his life. He was a total football fanatic. Off the field, he was a gentleman, the kind of man who was always seen, but not heard.”

Mr Kennelly is survived by his widow, Nuala; sons, Noel and Tadhg; daughter, Joanne; mother, Margaret; brothers and sisters.