Visionary chairman of Meath Hurling Board and accomplished construction foreman

OBITUARY: Finian Englishby

Finian Englishby

Athboy

When tribute was paid to Finian Englishby by a full house of some 82,500 in attendance at the Meath-Donegal All-Ireland SFC semi-final in Croke Park, it was fitting in more ways than one.

For not only did Finian give a lifetime of service to the Gaelic Athletic Association in Meath, but his daughter, Fiona, who lives in Fahad, is a former public relations officer with the Donegal County Board of the GAA.

Finian, who died peacefully at home at Chapelands, Athboy, on 3rd July, three days after his 93rd birthday, was a former chairman of Meath County Hurling Board, who also served on Leinster Council. He was associated with many clubs across the county at different stages when he lived in various parishes.

Finian was public relations officer and vice chairman of Meath Hurling Board before becoming chairman for four years from 1985. He was responsible for introducing a 'Five Year Development Plan', and set up a committee, whose aims were to develop and promote hurling in all primary schools, through to post primary schools and colleges, chaired by Fr Sean Heaney, with the assistance of Dessie Ferguson.

Born on Old Road at Killeen, Dunsany, the Englishby family moved to Drumree, where Finian grew up. He played minor football with Baytown, and minor hurling with Ratoath and Dunshaughlin Technical School, as well as junior and senior football with Drumree. He played for Dunshaughlin in the 1950s and ‘60s, including the intermediate football semi-finals of 1956 and ’61. In between, he won a junior championship title with the Black and Ambers in 1958. While working in England, he played senior football with St Joseph's in London, and senior hurling with St Paul's in Birmingham; senior hurling with St Patrick's in Gloucester, and Gloucester County.

Back at home, he played senior hurling with Glenealy, Co Wicklow; junior hurling with Kiltale; intermediate with Rathmolyon, and junior football with Duleek, Enfield and Rathmolyon. He was chairman, secretary, and coach at Enfield; coach of Rathmolyon Hurling Club, and selector and coach with Wolfe Tones where he trained the club to win junior and intermediate titles, beaten by one point by his former club, Rathmolyon, in the senior final. Finian was a selector with O'Growney hurlers, Athboy. He was on the Leinster Council for five years and served as a health and safety officer on grounds projects.

Playing with Kiltale, he won a a Meath JHC Medal, and was presented with the Hall of Fame Award by Kiltale Hurling Club in 2004. Paying tribute, Kiltale GAA said: "Finian served many roles in club and county but will always be remembered for his leadership and vision and great passion to try and improve the game of hurling in the county. He chaired Meath Hurling Board for many years and under his leadership we played at a high standard mixing with some of the big guns and we enjoyed many great days on and off the field. Finian a brilliant communicator and a polished speaker who could hold his own with anyone and spoke always with huge passion for the lesser code of hurling. He will be sadly missed but he can rest assured that his valuable service has not gone unnoticed by the many players and officials who had the pleasure of his company."

Cumann Bhulf Tón, Wolfe Tones GAA, said Finian's hard work in promoting hurling in the county was rewarded with Meath capturing the All Ireland B Hurling Title in 1993.

"Finian and his family lived in Kilberry for a number of years and during this time he took on the mantle of manager of the Tones hurlers. Success in the intermediate final of 1992 against Longwood was followed by an appearance in the senior final of 1993. This resulted in a heartbreaking one point loss for a youthful Tones team. Finian was dedicated to the team and guided them with enthusiasm, kindness and respect. He has written his name large in the history of Tones hurling and holds a special place in the hearts of all those who played for him."

The Dunshaughlin and Athboy clubs also paid tribute, as did former tanaiste and current chairperson of Donegal County Board, Mary Coughlan.

An all-round athlete in his youth, Finian was a cross country runner and a boxer, and won a Meath senior cross country medal with St Martin's Club of Culmullen. He won a Meath featherweight championship with the Dunshaughlin Boxing Club and fought in two senior lightweight championships. He also boxed and organised tournaments in England with his brothers.

He was the last surviving and longest living member of the family of 14 of Nobber native, Eugene Englishby, and Mary McGrane, from Kilmessan, and was born on Old Road, Dunsany, his expectant mother having attended the Eucharistic Congress before his arrival in 1932. His father was an Irish Volunteer who was on duty during Easter Week 1916, and subsequently joined the Kiltale Company of the Old IRA. Arrested in April 1920 with eight others, and taken to Mountjoy Prison, Eugene underwent a 14-day hunger strike and was removed to the Mater Hospital. At the 1948 pageant on the Hill of Tara he was given the honour of handing the Old IRA flag over to a representative of the LDF. He was employed by Meath Co Council as an overseer for almost half a century, retiring in 1957.

Finian excelled in maths, woodwork and technical drawing at Dunshaughlin Technical School, and worked at home until until 1954 when he went to England where he worked on farms and later in construction. He returned to Ireland around 1958 and worked in various jobs in construction, living for a spell in Ashford, Co Wicklow, before returning to Meath. He was foreman for John Sisk and Sons on the building of the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin, completed in 1966 for the 50th anniversary of the 1916 Rising.

Finian established his own building company for a few years in the late 1960s before returning to work as foreman/site manager for various contracts including Platin concrete works, Tara Mines, Beaumont Hospital, Mater Hospital and The Square Town Centre in Tallaght.

In later years he worked as construction manager for Meath and Westmeath VEC where he oversaw the completion of school buildings, the final one being the Pobal Scoil in Rath Chairn.

Last year, former taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, who was the accountant at the Mater Hospital when Finian was overseeing construction there, visited him in Athboy for his 92nd birthday.

In August 1962, Finian married Mary Foley of Dunshaughlin, and they went on to have a family of 12. Finian retired after suffering a stroke in 2006. In his retirement he took a renewed interest in the flowers and birds in his garden. He taught himself to draw with his left hand and created many pieces of art representing his love of nature. The wooden crucifix placed on his coffin at his funeral he made himself. In 1986, he undertook a theology course with Maynooth Pontifical University and he was an early eucharistic minister.

Finian will be remembered as a wise, intelligent and humble man, who took great pride in his work.

Predeceased by his son, Martin and granddaughter, Liana, he is survived by his wife, Mary; sons, Ian, Enda, Fiacra, Eoghan and Diarmuid; daughters, Fiona Shiels, Niamh Mackey, Dara, Orla Howard, Róisín, Treasa Brown; 20 grandchildren; seven great grandchildren; extended family, and many friends.

In a poignant tribute as Finian's funeral arrived at St James's Church, Athboy, members of the Meath hurling fraternity of the past held hurls over the coffin. Fr Padraig McMahon, PP, Athboy, was joined by Fr Martin Kavanagh and Fr Eamonn Finnegan of the Society of African Missions, of which Mary Englishby's brother, Fr Joe Foley, is a member. Burial followed in St James' Cemetery, Athboy.

A month's memory Mass takes place in Athboy on Sunday 3rd August at 11.30am.