Image source: Fossa GAA
The club he formed and loved held a poignant guard of honour for the late Gene Moriarty this Friday as his funeral cortege passed through his native parish following Requiem Mass in the Prince of Peace Church, just a short stroll from his home at Fossa Cross.
Six club colleagues shouldered his coffin and members of the All-Ireland Junior championship winning club lined the roadway as Gene’s remains were brought to Kilbonane Cemetery where he was laid to rest.
In a moving tribute, during which she read a poem she composed for her dad following Fossa’s greatest triumph in Croke Park last January, his daughter Amy described Gene as “a Fossa man apart”.
Showing great maturity and ambition, at the age of 19 Gene called a meeting on the 11th January 1970 and from that small gathering a GAA cub was born.
He was the first secretary – a position he held on more than one occasion – and he also was an innovative chairman and county board delegate as well as representing the club as a delegate to the Kerry County Board for over a decade.
Amy said Fossa GAA gave her father a great sense of pride and joy over 53 years and a win at juvenile level gave him as much satisfaction as a great success in the senior grade.
She said the day Paudie Clifford lifted the cup in Croke Park on the day of the All-Ireland Junior Championship final was a lifelong dream come true for Gene.
The day before he passed away, while on holiday in Lanzarote, Gene sent a text to Amy at home with the short message: “Fossa beat the Mitchels”.
The fact that he was keeping track of the county league results while thousands of miles from home summed up his devotion to the red and black.
An astute reader of the game, he was also a passionate Kerry supporter and travelled the country to cheer on the county, usually with Margaret and Amy at his side.
“I can’t believe I’ll never go to a match with you again,” Amy said in her touching tribute.
Gene, who celebrated his 73rd birthday last April, had worked as a psychiatric nurse in St Finan’s Hospital and he was very highly regarded by patients and staff for his dedication, loyalty and kindness.
As well as being a great clubman and work colleague, Gene was also a wonderful family man and the home he shared with Margaret, his wife of over 40 years, and Amy was a loving and supportive household.
It was no surprise to anyone that among the gifts brought to the altar to symbolise Gene’s life were Kerry and Fossa jerseys and the published history of Fossa GAA club as well as a family photograph of the devoted husband and father with his wife and daughter.
In the homily, Fr Tom Looney said Gene was a gentle and humble man who had many mighty qualities and he thanked God for the man he was and the life he lived.
“He was faithful to his people and to his parish,” he said.
Fr Looney, who joined principal celebrant Fr Niall Geaney, Fr John Ahern and Fr Paddy O’Donoghue at the altar, said the tiny seed Gene planted 53 years ago grew into the mighty plant that is Fossa GAA club and it helped establish a strong sense of community.
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