Lives Remembered: Winning rugby captain and publican

Barney Reilly - Navan

The funeral took place in Navan on Tuesday of last week of Bernard Reilly, better known as Barney, former Trimgate Street publican, and captain of Navan Rugby Club’s Towns Cup winning team of 1968. Aged 80, Barney died peacefully at his home in Hayestown, Navan, on Saturday 22nd February.

A well-known character in the town, in 1999 he sold the public house and undertaking business at 22 Trimgate Street to Mick Ryan. The premises changed hands again just last November. It had been in the Reilly family for generations, alongside the Arcadian Café and guesthouse business on Trimgate Street and Bakery Lane.

In a tribute following his death, Navan Rugby Club said Barney “always had a twinkle in his eye and a mischievous smile. He was a character who was universally popular with every generation in the club.”

He joined the club in the early 1960s and was quickly anointed as the starting scrum half where he excelled. He won two Towns Cup medals, in 1966 and 1968, together with multiple McGowan Cup medals and the All-Ireland Oval Trophy in 1969. Barney also played Leinster Junior Inter-provincial and won two Dunne Cup medals for Meath in Lansdowne Road in 1967 and 1969, alongside many of his Navan teammates.

He worked with Paddy Tehan to start the weekly dances and develop the club's social scene after the first clubhouse was built in 1964. For the first dance on 12th September 1964, they hand wrote 300 invitations on postcards to the nurses’ quarters in Navan and some of the Dublin hospitals. Some 300 people attended the first dance and £80 was raised, deemed a huge success. The Navan RFC dances became legendary and "the best craic in town".

In the 1980s, Barney, along with Ray Olohan from Jack’s Railway Bar in Kells sponsored the annual ‘Barneys v Jacks Cup’ on St Stephen's Day between the Navan ‘townies’ and the ‘mountainy men’, which became legendary for pure craic and fun, the rugby club continued. The club recorded an interview with Barney for its forthcoming centenary history publication, and he attended the ‘Legends of the 1960s’ lunch hosted by the club last September.

As a young man, Barney worked in a bank in Cavan and rode his Honda 50 back to rugby training in Navan. On cold days, he stayed close to the car on front, keeping warm from the heat of its exhaust pipe. When his father died unexpectedly at a young age, he returned to run the family business.

Through friendships with Dessie McDonogh, a fellow rugby player and jockey, and trainer Noel Meade, he became greatly interested in horseracing, travelling to Cheltenham and Aintree for many years, as well as home meetings and festivals.

He was best man for Dessie McDonogh when he married Helen Bryce-Smith from Moynalty, and became Godfather to their son, jockey Declan. Paying tribute to Barney from Hong Kong, where he is currently representing Irish racing for six weeks, Declan said: “I was so saddened to hear of Barney’s passing. You both were wonderful support to me and Barney such a great Godfather to have. I remember your kindness to this day. I’m so sorry not to be there as I’m in Hong Kong. I know he will be alongside my mother, keeping me safe.”

Barney Reilly was a member of Royal Tara Golf Club, and the Oriel Licensed Vintners Golf Society. He was one of the organisers of the Navan Vintners Association annual ball on Shrove Tuesday for Navan Meals on Wheels.

He was a loving father and grandfather, who was very proud of his children and grandchildren and their achievements, including grandson, Luke Murphy, who plays with the Dublin Gaelic football club, Cuala, winners of this year’s All-Ireland championship.

His grandchildren, in honour of Barney’s love of fashion and bright colours, wore neck ties belonging to their grandfather, or pieces fashioned from his ties, and brought symbols of his life to the altar at his funeral Mass in St Mary’s Church.

These included a spirit measure, representing the pub next door to the church, a family photograph from his 80th birthday last year, his golf glove, and racing binoculars.

Fr David Brennan, PP, Beauparc-Kentstown, in his homily, reflected on Barney’s faith as the pillar of strength which saw him through his challenging health situation of recent years, and the love and care of his wife, Vivienne, which allowed him to stay in his own home at Hayestown in those last few years, when he joined weekly Mass in Beauparc by webcam. Fr Noel Weir, CC, Navan, was chief celebrant.

Predeceased by his sister Sr Noeleen, Barney is survived by his wife Vivienne (nee Cassells); family, Thomas, Susan and Caroline; sons-in-law, Alan and Brian; daughter-in-law, Fiona; grandchildren, Jack, Charlie, Aoife, Jess, Sophie, Joe, Luke, Alex and Leah; brother, Tom; sister, Maura; extended family and a wide circle of friends. Burial followed in St Mary’s Cemetery. Members of Navan Rugby Club provided a guard of honour.