Death of former Meath captain

Kilmessan"s joy at bringing hurling"s Jubilee Cup back to its traditional home at the weekend was shortlived with the news on Monday evening of the passing of Dinny Donnelly at Our Lady"s Hospital, Navan. The former Meath senior football captain and hurler was a member of one of the county"s best known sporting families, and was associated with the Kilmessan hurling and Skryne football clubs. He had been in ill-health in recent months. Sons, county hurler David, and Paul were on Sunday"s winning side, while Tony was a selector of the Kilmessan team this year, and was due to return home from Brazil at the weekend where he was attending a Horan family wedding. On Sunday, Kilmessan captain Ger O"Neill remembered Mr Donnelly in his acceptance speech, and the cup was brought to him in Navan Hospital afterwards. Mr Donnelly (71) was captain of the Meath team that won the Leinster championship in 1964, and played in the All-Ireland senior football final of 1966, when Galway, captained by the late Enda Colleran, won a three-in-a-row. He was unlucky not to have won an All-Ireland senior football medal as he opted out 12 months before the 1967 championship win. He was centre back on the Skryne team that took the senior county title in 1965. Dinny Donnelly achieved a remarkable scoring record in a Meath-Sligo National League clash in Kells in November 1959. Meath won by 10-4 to 3-2, with Mr Donnelly at full forward scoring five of those Meath goals in the first half. Deceased also gave loyal service to the county hurlers and was on two triumphant teams in Leinster junior finals, in 1961 at centre back against Wicklow and in 1972 at full back against Kildare. He helped Kilmessan to senior hurling titles in 1961, "62, "65 and "69. In 1963, he was joint winner of the Puc Fada in the Cooley Mountains, along with Ollie Walsh of Kilkenny and Tom Geary of Waterford. He was the recipient of Kilmessan Hurling Club"s Hall of Fame award, and was also a member of the team honoured with presentations at this year"s dinner dance. The family victualler business, Wm Donnelly and Son Ltd in Kilmessan, is one of the county"s best known suppliers of meat, established by Mr Donnelly"s father, William Donnelly, with Joe Loughran. Two of Dinny Donnelly"s uncles, Pat and Tony, were prominent Meath senior footballers, and his late grandfather, Joseph, of Odder, Tara, was associated with one of the county"s original GAA clubs, Dowdstown. His daughter, Aileen, captained Meath to win the junior camogie title this summer. Mr Donnelly was predeceased in 2005 by his wife Brigid (nee Curtis), who had been a well-known camogie player and official. He is survived by his sons, Willie, Paul, Tony, and David; daughters, Ann Gorman and Aileen Donnelly; sister, Marie Martin, Kildalkey (mother of trainer Tony); grandchildren, in-laws, nephews, nieces, and relatives including Mrs Bridie Donnelly, Tara, wife of the late Pat Donnelly. His remains are reposing at his home in Kilmessan, and will be removed to the Church of the Nativity for funeral Mass at 12 noon on Thursday, with burial in the adjoining cemetery.