Tommy Lynch obituary: Woe betide anyone who thought they were too smart for legendary groundsman
A LABOUR OF LOVE: Tommy Lynch checking up on the Pairc Ui Chaoimh pitch in the old stadium. Picture: George Hatchell
Each of the world's most famous sporting stadia developed their own characteristics. Those who attend them become comfortable with their surroundings, their smells, their view and the reverberation throughout the ground when a goal is scored. Eventually, the stadium becomes a home from home and as comfortable as an old shoe.
Behind these characteristics, there is always a character too. The substance of this character is usually a man who knows everything about the place. He knows when to turn on the showers, when to unfurl the national flag, when to cut the grass, how to mind the stores, exactly where each team bus must park - and he is always there to greet the opposition and the officials. On weekdays, when the stadium is closed, he is the man you hear whistling in the tunnels in the bowls of the stadium and who prepares the dressing rooms and equipment for evening training.
The story of the first Páirc Uí Chaoimh (1976-2014) is typical of the life of a stadium. Build as ‘state-of-the-art’, shiny and new, it became comfortable and familiar; long after it had been left behind by technology, crowd safety laws and lack of facilities, it felt warm and comfortable for spectators and players alike. For those who visited Páirc Uí Chaoimh, on match days or weekdays, Tommy Lynch was the first face and character of the stadium. He kept watch from his storeroom inside the door that opened up onto the old Show Grounds. From there he controlled deliveries, visitors and training sessions as well as preparing the playing gear and equipment for training and match days.
Tommy was born in October 1929. He went to work in Ranks Flour Mills. He was recruited by Con Murphy in the early 1970s to work gates on match days. He worked on a scoreboard at the opening of Páirc Uí Chaoimh. The story goes that the late Denis Conroy asked Tommy to come to the new Páirc Uí Chaoimh for a day’s work and he ended up coming back every day afterwards. When inter-county competition and preparation proliferated in the 1980s, Dan Hoare, the Board Treasurer of the time put Tommy in charge of gear and equipment and he continued in that role until two years ago.
Tommy, who will be laid to rest Saturday morning, was a typical Cork man. He was proud of his contribution to Cork GAA and the county teams. He was intimidated by no-one. He could hold his own in any company; he was as comfortable in a room with Taoisigh, Lord Mayors, GAA elected officials or superstar players as he was in the Páirc Uí Chaoimh hall having his lunch with the ground staff.
Tommy had a very sharp wit and woe betide anyone who tried to slag him. He would retort with a suitable quip that would have the whole room laughing at the instigator. He had his own way of telling home truths too. Back in 1996, when Larry Tompkins was leading his new panel of football players through a very tough winter training program, the hurlers returned to training at the beginning of December. One evening a hurler, who Tommy felt needed to try harder, was doing some work on a rowing machine in the gym.
When Tommy entered the gym, the player stopped and said, “This is hard work Tommy, I’d say we’re working as hard as the footballers”.
Tommy went over to the rowing machine and examined the settings. “I’ll tell now boy, if you went down to Blackrock now and started rowing, you wouldn’t make Cork by Christmas”.
There were howls of laughter and the message hit home that the player would have to work harder if he wanted to play with Cork.
Tommy and the stadium grew old together. For a while, especially after Tommy’s wife Lily died in 1989, there was a symbiosis between them. He suffered a severe illness in the late 1990s and when he returned to work, he was minded and supported by the Páirc Ui Chaoimh secretaries Mairead McCarthy and Barbara Hartnett. As Tommy approached his 90th birthday, the footballer’s physio Colin Lane and Dr Con Murphy ensured that he was always fit and able to report for work.
Each October, Tommy would arrive into the office and Mairead and Barbara would book his annual trip to Australia. Then, on the day after County Convention, he would fly halfway around the world to spend Christmas and January with his daughter Marian and her family. He continued this pilgrimage until last year.
Tommy Lynch brought character to Cork GAA. He fitted into the atmosphere in such a way that you did not notice his contribution on a daily basis, and, a bit like Oxygen, you only missed him when he wasn’t there anymore. There were many great days in the old Páirc Uí Chaoimh and Tommy Lynch is one of few people who was part of every one of them.
He is predeceased by his wife Lily, and survived by his son, Anthony, daughter Marian, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, sister Bridie, brothers John, Christy, Peter and Martin.
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