Rathdowney lost one of its most enthusiastic and well-loved Gaels on January 18 with the passing of Seamus Bracken, at his home on Cascade Street.
Alex Stenson, an author from Rathdowney and a close friend of the late Seamus, has penned a beautiful tribute which you can read in full below:
To most of us, Seamus is best remembered for his work with Rathdowney and Laois GAA, serving the Association in almost every conceivable capacity.
Player, Manager, Selector, Referee, Administrator, one of the unsung heroes, dedicated to the cause.
However, it must be pointed out that, like most really busy men, he also found time for an amazing number of other activities, actively involved in all aspects of parish life, devoting his time and energy for the betterment of our community.
He would tell you himself, he achieved limited success as a hurler, an U-16 medal his only reward for a career that spanned the ‘60s, early 70’s, his biggest disappointment being our defeat in the ’66 Senior final.
He did, however, have the honour of representing his County at senior level. A Referee of note, he was the man in the middle for the 1972 Intermediate Hurling final between Ballacolla and Ballinakill.
However, it is as a coach he is best remembered, credited with the emergence of Rathdowney as an underage hurling power throughout the 70’s/80’s.
In coaching terms, he was ahead of his time. A believer that success at adult level would only come if the work was put in at juvenile level, he was instrumental in establishing structures that are still serving the club very well to this day.
Many a young lad in the Parish got his love of hurling from Seamus, including players who went on to wear the blue and white at the highest level. He was a natural, with the capacity to get the best out of young people.
It was during this period that Rathdowney and Errill underage hurling teams, whose skills were honed at the “Bracken School of Excellence” became a dominant force in the annual race for honours, capturing titles at all levels from U-12 through to U-21.
It would take far too long to list all his achievements. Arguably his greatest was guiding the Club to a record four in a row Championship success at minor level (1976-1979).
At Inter County level, he served as Manager/Selector of various teams from U-14 thru to U-21, winning the All-Ireland U-16 Title in ‘79.
Timahoe also laid claim to Seamus, guiding them to a Junior Hurling Title and Kilcotton, a team he led to Intermediate championship success.
However, one of his biggest disappointments was managing an Errill side that suffered a heart-breaking one-point loss to Camross in the ’86 senior final.
A pioneering figure in coaching and games development, his work as a coach, at club and county level, are without doubt Seamus’s greatest legacy to Cumann Lúthchleas Gael.
At administrative level, the number of positions he occupied would surprise many.
He was instrumental in the formation of our Juvenile Club in 1974, becoming its first Chairman, a position he held until 1981.
He then took on the role of Club Chairman, however, it was not long before the County came calling. He soon became an important cog in the County GAA scene, serving as Vice Chairman of the Laois Hurling and Laois Juvenile Board’s.
He was also appointed onto the Competitions Control Committee (CCC), a testament to his standing, within GAA circles, that he was given this challenging position.
The old adage “if you want something done, give it to a busy man” was certainly true as regards Seamus.
Actively involved in all aspects of Parish life, he served as Chairman of the Festival committee. People will have fond memories of visits by the legendary Jimmy Magee and his All Stars, Donnacha Ó’Dúlaing, Sam Melbourne and his GAA Museum, helicopter trips to mention but a few. Exciting and memorable times.
They say, “behind every good man is an exceptional woman” and throughout the years Sheila has been her husband’s faithful right-hand partner. It is said, you will know a GAA household when you see it.
The sports gear will be dumped inside the front door, the washing line will heave with shorts, socks and jerseys. Well, in those days, any time you approached Cascade Street you were bound to observe some of those tell-tale signs.
A hugely sociable character, Seamus enjoyed life and lived it to the full. The unselfish work he did behind the scenes could never be quantified, truly a life dedicated to our community.
While Seamus is gone from our midst, we hope his spirit will remain with us.
The high regard with which he was held in the Community was exemplified by the high turnout of colleagues and opponents alike at his funeral.
We will never forget him and will always remember him with fondness and while his loss will create a big void in our lives, the enormous sense of loss will be felt more by his loving family, who had cared for him so lovingly all through his illness.
“When the final whistle for me is blown,
And I stand at last at God’s judgement throne,
May the Great Referee when He calls my name,
Say “you hurled like a man, you played the game”
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a Anam dílis.
SEE ALSO – Weekend Read: Laois friends demonstrate drive with new food truck business
