Tributes paid to Roscommon GAA stalwart Michael Fahey

A Roscommon flag flies high. ©INPHO/Oisin Keniry.

Tributes have been paid following the death of former Roscommon GAA county board chairperson Michael Fahey.

Mr Fahey, of Kilteevan and formerly of Roscommon town, passed away peacefully on Thursday, September 17th, in the care of the staff at Roscommon University Hospital.

A well-known and highly respected figure within Roscommon GAA, he served as county board chairperson and was involved in the administration of Gaelic games in the county for many years.

Away from the GAA, Mr Fahey was also a respected educator and served as principal of CBS Roscommon. He will be fondly remembered by former teaching colleagues, past pupils and friends throughout the county and beyond.

Paying tribute to Mr Fahey, current county board chairperson Thomas Murray said that his work with Roscommon GAA has left “a lasting legacy”.

“Mick had a great vision for the county. In many ways, he was a man ahead of his time,” said Mr Murray.

“The last strategic plan we developed as a county was done under Mick’s watch. We also undertook a root-and-branch review of all GAA activities in Roscommon in 2013.

“He wasn’t afraid to say Roscommon needed to go about its business differently. He put a steering group in place to look at everything from infrastructure to finance to fixtures.

“A lot of good came from that work, and I think it is only now that we are truly seeing the fruits of Mick’s vision. Take the Hyde, where the first infrastructure committee was formed under his watch and at Club Rossie — so much of the progress we see today forms part of his lasting legacy.”

Funeral details:

Reposing will take place at Smyth’s Funeral Home, Roscommon, on Friday from 4pm to 6pm, followed by removal to the Sacred Heart Church, Roscommon.

His Mass of the Resurrection will take place on Saturday at 11am, followed by burial in Kilteevan Cemetery.

The funeral Mass will be broadcast live on churchtv.ie/roscommontown.