Ms M Flanagan, Dunboyne

The funeral takes place today (Wednesday) in Dunboyne of Ms Maura Flanagan, whose camogie career spanned almost half a century with club and county. Aged 85, Ms Flanagan died after a two-month illness. Ms Flanagan was a familiar site on the camogie fields up to her retirement from the game around 1986, at the remarkable age of 62. Playing in goals, she was a member of Dunboyne senior camogie teams that won 11 county championships in the 1970s and early 1980s. She also played for Meath and was a member of a county team that won a national league title in the 1970s. Towards the end of her career, she played alongside her nieces, Ann and Josephine Gannon, and niece-in-law, Maria. Originally playing with Ratoath, Ms Flanagan was responsible for the revival of camogie in her native Dunboyne in 1966, with help and encouragement from Pat Kelly and Oliver Brady. The initial turnout from that first night was an early indication of the determination and enthusiasm that was to sustain such phenomenal success in the following decades. Advice and coaching was immediately available from Mick Reilly, Sean Boylan and Paddy McIntyre senior. The first signs of success appeared in 1969 when the club won the Kilbride Tournament Trophy and a place in the final against Kilmessan, being beaten by one point. The following year began a glorious decade for the club, which won the senior county title annually until 1979, with Ms Flanagan prominent throughout these years. At a special function in 1975 to mark the club"s success in that year"s championship, a special presentation was made to Maura Flanagan for her outstanding contribution to Dunboyne, Meath, for whom she had played 18 times, and the game of camogie. She was still playing the following year with Meath when they won a junior league title. In fact, Ms Flanagan continued to line out for Dunboyne for another decade, retiring in her early sixties in 1986. In 2002, along with her neighbour, Pat Kelly, she was presented with Meath GAA"s Sean Gael award. Predeceased by her sister, Nan, and brothers, Jimmy and Peter, she is survived by her nephews, nieces and their families, relatives , neighbours and friends. Ms Flanagan"s remains were removed from her residence, Paceland, Dunboyne, last night (Tuesday) to the Church of Ss Peter and Paul, Dunboyne, and the funeral Mass is due to take place there at 12 noon today (Wednesday), followed by burial in Rooske Cemetery.