Huge outpouring of sadness at passing of former Mayo GAA player Ger Brady

Ger Brady wore the colours of St Colman’s College, Claremorris GAA club and Mayo GAA with pride and loyalty every time he put on those jerseys. That loyalty and appreciation for his years of service on the football fields was manifested in full over the weekend when so many hundreds of people came along to share in the expressions of condolences and support to his family and friends.

The community had rallied around in an amazing way since the news of Ger’s diagnosis first broke around August 2022. It was not just here in Mayo but also around the province and indeed in many parts of the country as well. The goodwill for Ger was phenomenal and reflected the respect there was for him throughout the sporting community.

His beloved home club of Claremorris led the tributes to Ger in a post to their cherished colleague: “It is with heartfelt sadness that Claremorris GAA Club extends condolences to the family and friends of Ger Brady, Grattan Park and Murneen South, who has died at the age of 45. Ger was diagnosed with Motor Neurone less than two years ago and showed remarkable and inspirational qualities on the journey that lay ahead.

“He was a loyal and devoted member of the club and represented Claremorris in all grades up along the way. He did likewise with St Colman’s College for whom he had many starring roles in the red and white jersey.

“Ger’s skills and artistry on the club and college fields did not go unnoticed and he was a proud young lad when chosen as a member of the Mayo minor panel. He later went on to wear the county jersey at U-21 and senior grades, making his senior debut against New York 25 years ago.

Shock and sadness

“When news broke of Ger’s diagnosis, there was total shock and sadness around the region. Within days so many were rallying to the cause and the Together for Ger campaign received overwhelming support from around the country.

“Last June, the Claremorris and Mayo GAA community organised a major exhibition game between Claremorris players and former Mayo GAA players who lent their support with a heart and half. The event was played at the town pitch and received excellent support on the day. We were all glad to see Ger in attendance on what must have been a truly special day for him and his family.

“Numerous other ventures received massive support including the amazing swim from Roonagh Pier to Clare Ireland some months ago. The outpouring of goodwill and support was phenomenal all along the journey.

“The hearts of all in this community and the wider GAA and soccer communities around Mayo, the province and further afield join with us in expressing our deepest sympathy and support to the Brady, Bell and Kavanagh families at this most poignant of times.”

St Colman’s College joined hundreds of others in expressing sadness at the passing of Ger: “Ger Brady was one of the finest footballers to ever wear the red and white of St Colman’s and was instrumental in our All Ireland Colleges B win in 1996.”

People queued around five hours during the reposing at Gilligan’s Funeral Home on Saturday evening and the sadness and sense of loss was palpable as so many people shed tears as they filed past the coffin.

Guards of honour

Large guards of honour featuring sporting and community groups and neighbours paid their respect on both days. Mayo and Claremorris colours were draped on the coffin for the funeral Mass in St Colman’s Church on Sunday afternoon. A quarter of an hour before the ceremony, a minute’s silence was observed as a tribute to Ger prior to the Mayo v Monaghan National League match in Clones.

Among the items brought to the altar at the start of the Mass were Claremorris and Mayo jerseys, a letter of support that he received from Manchester United Club during his illness, his name tag from his 20 years of service with Bank of Ireland and a family photo.

Fr Peter Gannon, PP, said the capacity congregation were present to give thanks for Ger’s life and for all he achieved during his lifetime.

“Ger was a gentleman in every situation, a fantastic friend with a presence that was assuring, friendly, patient and caring for all customers. He was a character and a man of great maturity and sensitivity, so calm and laid-back, with great resilience and strength of character. He and his sisters Elaine, Tara and Louise had such a lovely connection and bond with each other.

“We think today of all the people who have been part of his journey, family, relations, in-laws and friends, his lovely mother-in-law Ann and his parents Gerry and Margaret Brady, the absolute salt of this earth.”

Poignant

Fr Peter, in a poignant and reassuring manner, recalled a special moment that will always stand out in his life. “I have had the privilege of celebrating many weddings over the years but there is one wedding that for the rest of my life will stand out from all the others.

“On the evening of December 14, 2022, we sat around the kitchen table in Grattan Park, Ger, Karen, Ann, Gerry, Margaret and myself. We said Mass and in the middle of that Mass we celebrated the wedding of Karen Bell and Ger Brady. It was emotional, it was relaxed, it was personal and private, and it was so full of love.

“Afterwards we sat in the sitting room with a glass of wine, plates of food on the lap, and an atmosphere of pure joy, talking, laughing, telling stories, but most of all in the company of wonderful people.

“Ger’s vocal ability was not great at that point but he had a glint in his eyes and a grin on his face because he knew he had just won the lotto. Karen, the respect there is for you, not just by your many friends and family and extended family, but in the community of Claremorris, Barnacarroll, Taugheen, Crossboyne, and far beyond is enormous.

“Long before illness was ever a hint in your lives, ye were a couple who could only show others how to live life. And then how you with the greatest of love adopted your life fully to the care of Ger in his illness. Ger may have been ill but he could never have been lonely.

“Ger, your life was far too short but you certainly made the best of the years you were here. In the end illness challenged your spirit but it never broke you. It’s over now. Rest in peace, amen.”

At the end of the Mass, Karen (who is daughter of Ann and the late Richie Bell, a former Mayo football legend who won an All Ireland U-21 medal with Mayo in 1974 and whose sudden death in 1994 caused such widespread grief and sadness), along with members of the Brady, Kavanagh and Bell families acknowledged the condolences and handshakes of so many others who had journeyed to Claremorris for the funeral ceremony.

Cars lined both sides of the road from Ardroe to the ‘Racecourse’ during the graveside prayers in St Colman’s cemetery.

Ger will be sadly missed and remembered with the greatest of fondness and affection by his wife Karen (Bell) and their precious son Dylan, his parents Gerry and Margaret (nee Kavanagh from Mace), mother-in-law Ann, sisters Elaine Forde, Tara Nally and Louise Grant, brothers-in-law Richard, Colin, Keith, Tomas and Keith, sisters-in-law Aisling, Aimee and Edel, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, relatives and many friends.