Leitrim GAA lead tributes to the late Br. Tony Dolan

Leitrim GAA have led tributes to the former Aughnasheelin and Leitrim footballer Brother Tony Dolan who sadly passed away last Friday October 3, in Mountbellew, Co Galway.

A former Minister General of the Franciscan Brothers, Br Tony spent his life as an educator, first at the Agricultural College in Mountbellew and then for 34 years in  Kenya & Uganda. His lifetime of commitment as an educator saw him recognised by his alma mater UCD with an Honorary Doctorate in 2019.

Br Tony was a member of the famed Aughnasheelin team who won the Leitrim Senior League in 1968 and went on to spend eight years playing for Leitrim, along with  his brothers, the late Fr. Joe, the late Fr. Leo and Paddy while his uncle, the  Canon Joe Dolan, was a member of the Leitrim 1927 Connacht Championship winning team.

In a statement on their website, Franciscan Brothers Minister General Brother Charles Lagu said “Br. Tony had been courageously battling cancer since last year, and throughout his journey, he remained a quiet beacon of faith, dignity, and resilience.

“His life among us was marked by unwavering commitment to the Franciscan mission, gentle wisdom, and a spirit of service that touched many across generations and continents. Whether in community life, ministry, or moments of quiet companionship, Br. Tony embodied the heart of St. Francis - humble, joyful, and deeply rooted in God.”

The late Br Tony Dolan from Aughnasheelin pictured with family members when he received an honorary degree of Doctor of Science honoris causa from UCD. (From left) Paddy, Fr Leo; sister Ann (O'Hora), Br Tony, sister Kay (Flaherty) and brother Jackie. (Front) Vincie

In their tribute on their website, Leitrim GAA wrote: Brother Tony, a former Leitrim footballer of the mid-1970s, left his indelible mark on the education of generations of young farmers through almost two decades at Mountbellew – most of those years as college principal. 

“After Mountbellew, the next phase of his life took him to rural Kenya when he took over as Principal at Baraka Farmers’ Training Centre in Molo, Western Kenya in 1989. Life later took him away from there to move to a remote region of Northern Uganda where he established an agricultural and rural development training centre to assist farm households who were surviving on subsistence agriculture and also refugees from South Sudan who were in camps in the region. In all he worked for 34 years as a farming missionary in East Africa.”

In a lengthy tribute on the Franciscan Brothers Mountbellew website, the late Br Tony was described as “A giant of our institute, Tony’s earthly journey is done, leaving us but to remember, mourn, and celebrate the gift of his heart and soul to the mission and ministry of the Franciscan Brothers.  For such a tower of strength, it must have been a challenge for Tony to respond to God’s call to return home to Him. In his mind, Tony still had so much to do because he was a man of great passion for the poor, a warrior for justice, a social visionary and a heroic trailblazer. To paraphrase a Shakespeare line, death must be proud to have taken him.

A Leitrim team featuring the late Tony Dolan (back row, seventh from left) before a League match against Tyrone in 1770-71. (Back, from left) Vinnie McKeon Dromahair, Ben Wrynn Fenagh, Oliver Harte Dromahair, Jim McGarry Annaduff, Tony Mulvey Ballinaglera, Paddy Guckian St Mary's, Tony Dolan Aughnasheelin, Joe Gormley Ballinamore, Damien Brennan Cloone, Charlie Shanley Gortletteragh, Tommy Gallagher Aughnasheelin), Joe Sorohan Gortletteragh. (Front) Kevin O'Malley Melvin Gaels, John Lee Aughavas, Gerry Keegan Mohill) Mickey Dorrigan Gortletteragh, Joe Canning Gortletteragh, Kevin Rooney Manorhamilton, Jack Colreavy Gortletteragh, Packie McGarty Mohill, Mickey Colreavy Gortletteragh, Tom McLoughlin Aughavas

In an interview with the Observer in 2019 to mark his Honorary Doctorate with UCD, Br Tony recalled his playing career: “I played for Leitrim from about 1968 to 1975/76. We beat Mayo in the first round of Connacht and then Galway beat us in the replay. We had quite a good team then.

“Joe, our older brother, was part of that team in the 50s. I would have won a Dublin League with UCD but we lost the Sigerson the few years I played with them. Eugene McGee was our manager. I played in Mountbellew as well, we won a County title in 1974 and we beat Corofin,” recalls Tony, his last ditch point winning the title for Mountbellew.

 While his heart  remained with Aughnasheelin, Br  Tony's saw lessons for Ireland and Europe through his work in  Kenya and Uganda: “Our focus is on the small scale farmers. It is basically looking as agricultural as multi-functional. The first is to feed themselves, the second is to contribute to them making a decent living, the third is conservation and the environmental part of it, our focus is on sustainable agriculture which we should argue should also be the focus of European agriculture.

“The reality is whether you are black or white or gray, human beings are the same all over the world. You take the small scale farmers of any part of Kenya, they are no different from our own fathers and mothers who strived to educate us back in Aughnasheelin.”

Br Tony is survived by his brothers Paddy, Jackie & Jimmy, sisters Ann O’Hora & Kay Flaherty,  cousins Norman, Peter & John Crampton, relatives, neighbours and friends and his Franciscan Brothers in Ireland, East Africa and the USA. Brother Tony was laid to rest on Tuesday October 7, at the Franciscan Brothers Cemetery in Mountbellew. 

The Leitrim Observer offers our deepest sympathy to Br Tony's family, friends & community on their great loss. May Tony Rest In Peace.

The late Tony Dolan pictured with Leitrim ladies star Clare Owens & 2012 Olympic 800m champion and world record holder David Rudisha during Clare’s trip to Kenya as part of the Warriors for Humanity Plant the Planet games in Kenya in November 2022