Mulranny mourns much-loved son

SPORTING GIANT Kevin Moran is pictured playing for Connacht A against Leinster A in the RDS in 2008. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sporstfile

Deep sorrow at death of Kevin Moran (32) in Australia

Neill O’Neill

MULRANNY is in mourning this week as the tight-knit community tries to come to terms with the loss of a much-loved son, Kevin Moran, in Australia. The 32 year old died in hospital in Port Macquarie, a city on the Pacific coast of New South Wales, last Saturday morning (Australian time), following a road-traffic accident. The Toyota Hilux he was driving had been involved in a head-on collision with an Isuzu truck at Blackman’s Point, just north of Port Macquarie.
Kevin was the sole occupant of the Toyota. The 54-year-old man driving the Isuzu was also taken to hospital, where he received treatment for minor injuries.
The incident happened around 2.30pm on Friday afternoon (3.30am on Friday morning, Irish time), and word had filtered back home later that day that Kevin had been taken to hospital in a serious condition. He would not recover from his injuries.
Poignantly, Kevin had gotten engaged on Valentine’s Day, just four weeks ago. In an online tribute, his fiancée, Anne-Marie Perry, described him as ‘the love of my life, my best friend, my partner in crime, my soul mate’.
“You put a smile on everyone’s face, always having the craic, you truly were the love of my life and for us to never make it down the aisle and [realise] all of our plans together is heartbreaking.” Kevin had travelled home last Christmas for a wedding in Mulranny at which he was a member of the bridal party.

Sportsman
Kevin was well-known and highly regarded far beyond his native Mulranny for his ability and talents in sport. He played football with Mulranny United from underage level right through to junior (adult), while Achill Rovers also paid an online tribute to Kevin, describing him as a former player. However, it was on the rugby field that Kevin made the biggest impression. Having played for several years with the Westport Bulls, where he made an enormous impression, Kevin went on to play with Connacht at Under 21 and A level and also played in the UK and in Italy.
Head Coach at Westport and Club Community Rugby Officer with Connacht Rugby, John Paul Walsh, fondly recalled his playing days with Kevin. The Westport Bulls have a cup final on St Patrick’s Day in Galway, and John Paul has no doubt that Kevin will be on everyone’s minds.
“Kevin was a great guy, and those of us who played with him have so many memories, like him scoring four tries against Buccaneers one time and carrying fellas over the line. The first time he ever showed up for Under 16 training he was told that senior training wasn’t on that night. The coaches got excited when he told them he was only 14 – they knew he was one for the future.
“They used to have to take him off, he was so powerful at underage, and he used to have to bring a birth cert everywhere with him to prove his age. Everyone in the club is very upset by what has happened, and I am sure his name will be mentioned on Thursday ahead of the final, and emotions will be running high. It puts things into perspective. We are throwing a ball around, but Kevin’s family and everybody else has lost him. It is a real tragedy.”
John Paul also recalled that Kevin had been signed by Gloucester but showed up to train with Westport the night before he was to fly out, ‘because he loved training and got stuck in and broke his leg’. He joined Gloucester the following season, before returning to the Connacht set-up, but his promising career was hampered by injury after injury.

‘A fine young man’
Speaking from the US, where he is on official duty ahead of St Patrick’s Day, local councillor and Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council, Michael Holmes, described Kevin’s death as a terrible tragedy for the whole of Mulranny.
“I will always remember Kevin as a fine young man; a big strong lad, a great sportsman, who went to school in Mulranny and played football in Mulranny,” he said. “He was a gentle guy who came from a very decent family, and he was a friend of many people in Mulranny. This is very tragic news for a community where everybody knows everybody,” he added.
Local GP in Mulranny, Dr Jerry Cowley, added that the community is heartbroken and shocked. “The whole community is together in mourning with the extended Moran family on this tragedy,” he stated.
Kevin’s father John passed away a few years ago, but he has many many relations in Mulranny. Kevin is survived by his mother, Ann, and siblings, Johnny, Carmel, David, Cathy and Emily. It is understood that Emily also lives in the Queensland capital of Brisbane, where Kevin had resided with his fiancée. He is also survived by his grandmother, Betty Gorman, a well-known Mulranny resident, other close relatives and friends.
A GoFundMe page was set up yesterday (Monday) to raise $15,000 to repatriate Kevin’s remains. It had doubled its target within a number of hours. By 9pm on Monday, the fund had topped $50,000, just 15 hours after it had been set up.
The St Patrick’s Day parade planned for Mulranny has been cancelled as a mark of respect for Kevin Moran and his family. No funeral arrangements have been announced yet.