The late Gerry McGovern certainly did Leitrim some great service

There is a quote in political circles that goes along the lines “He did the State some service”. If ever a man deserves to have the phrase “He did Leitrim some service” written about him, it is Gerry McGovern who passed away on Wednesday May 24, prompting an outpouring of grief for a man best described as a genuine gentleman who was immensely proud of his Cloone and Leitrim roots.

The level of respect Gerry was held was signified by the reaction as the news of his passing - two GAA stalwarts contacted me, upset that their friend had passed on to his eternal reward and reflecting on his enormous contribution to the GAA in Cloone, Leitrim, Connacht and nationally.

You only have to read the tributes on RIP.ie to get some sense of the respect Gerry was held in, something reinforced if you took the time during Leitrim's games this year to see the lines of well-wishers spending a few minutes chatting with him, be it in Ballinamore, up in the press box in his beloved Cloone or in Avant Money Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada as recently as the Connacht Championship clash against Mayo in April.

The transformation in Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada over the past 20 years has been remarkable and I don't believe anyone will quibble with me if I declare that none of it would have happened without Gerry McGovern driving the project, a testament to Gerry’s vision of what Leitrim deserved.

It is a measure of his commitment that, almost 17 years after the stand was first opened during his term as Leitrim County Board Chairman, Gerry was still the driving force behind the development of the new pitch in Pairc Sean, the installation of new seats and even more plans that have yet to come to fruition.

The late Gerry McGovern chats with Sean McGoldrick at the Allianz NFL game against Kildare earlier this year Picture: Willie Donnellan

A proud Leitrim man, Gerry could never understand why Leitrim did not have facilities as least as good as anywhere else and if he saw a project worth taking on, nothing could stop him from seeing it to completion - as it was recounted to me last Saturday, if a job was to done, Gerry reckoned it had to be done right!

That meant Gerry was unafraid to commit Leitrim GAA towards the development of what became the Leitrim GAA Centre of Excellence in Annaduff, all while the work was only starting on the new stand in Pairc Sean. The legacy of both those projects will serve Leitrim for decades to come.

But it wasn't just infrastructure and facilities that drove Gerry - back in 2006 or 2007 after a particularly harrowing defeat for our county's U21 side against Roscommon in the  Championship, I penned a comment piece that decried the situation and called for change.

Gerry answered that call, evening asking yours truly to come on board with a special committee he set up to examine Juvenile structures in the county. The committee met with fierce opposition, its recommendations defeated at Convention as clubs railed against its proposals.

But just as he was a man to see what was needed in terms of facilities, Gerry was a man ahead of his time and, years later,  many of those recommendations have now been  implemented - Gerry was certainly ahead of his time and, over the years, I often wondered where Leitrim football might have been had the clubs followed his lead back then?

Gerry was a man that cared passionately about his county and club - many a time up in the pressbox in Cloone as we watched a club game, we debated the ills of Gaelic games, the GAA and life in general. But here was the crucial factor - Gerry was not content to sit on his hands if something needed to be done, a man determined to make a difference for the betterment of all in Leitrim.

Flags at half-mast at St Mary's Park in Cloone to mark the passing of Gerry McGovern Picture: Willie Donnellan

Some would have quietly retired after his term as Connacht GAA President ended, an honour he was enormously proud of but not Gerry, he threw himself back into work on the ground in Leitrim - as Safety & Facilities Officer, Gerry drove improvements at club and county grounds, particularly for spectators with special needs.

Even as recently as May 12, he was at the County Board meeting outlining plans for the future development of Pairc Sean - many would have taken a break after the work on the new playing surface and installation of new seats but not Gerry, the next project was on the horizon, Pairc Sean could be better and Gerry had the vision to see it and the determination to put in the work to see it done.

He would be the first to say that it wasn't a one man show but from chatting to so many people over the past week, they all state that without Gerry driving it on, many projects would have never got off the ground.

As proud as he was of Leitrim, Gerry was prouder of Cloone - no former great who passed away in recent years did so without Gerry penning a tribute that was passed along to the Club PRO for the Observer and nobody was prouder when his fellow clubman Seamus Maguire led Leitrim to the Connacht Minor title in 1998.

The trouble I have with this tribute is that it simply won't do Gerry justice - I've barely mentioned his refereeing career or his work improving the lot of referees in this county. When he was Connacht Scor President, Gerry threw himself into that role with an enthusiasm and relish I've rarely seen but I guess that goes for anything he set his mind to.

I saw this first hand when the Observer teamed up with Leitrim GAA to run a Leitrim GAA Team of the Millennium event at the end of 1999. It was a project that could cause headaches with the potential for some greats to miss out, as one or two undoubtedly did, but working with Gerry, I saw first hand his commitment and integrity.

Nobody was prouder when the Team was feted in the Bush Hotel, nobody prouder when fellow Cloone clubman Leo McAlinden made a speech that still resonates in my memory.

Nobody worked harder to ensure that the project  was a success, this was a labour of love for Gerry to honour the greats who wore the Leitrim jersey and that immense dedication was a trait he carried into everything he took on for Leitrim GAA.

Most of all, Gerry was a gentleman to his very core, a decent man who did his very best for everyone and the grief that has spread around the county is only a small measure of the man. It is no secret that Gerry endured ill health in recent years but he never let that stop him, almost an unstoppable force of nature that you would have to see to truly believe! 

Gerry McGovern pictured at the official opening of the new Glencar Manorhamilton club grounds in 2019

To his wife Kathleen;  sons Ciaran and Gavin, daughter Jacinta, daughters-in-law Alison and Sarah, Jacinta’s partner Daniel; grandchildren Dara, Jack, Rosie, and Mike; brothers Fr. Ciaran and Joe; sister-in-law Geraldine; nephews Ronan, Conor and Kieran; extended family, the Cloone club and his many friends, I can't begin to express my sorrow on your great loss.

We Irish  use the phrase 'Ni bheidh a leithead aris ann' to mark the passing of a great who has had an impact on his community that goes beyond the ordinary. Gerry McGovern did Leitrim some incredible service and we will definitely never see his likes again. May Gerry Rest In Peace.