A light goes out

When Liam Tolan was called ashore by Davy Dalton at Pairc Tailteann on Saturday, shortly after 4pm, none of us watching the game realised that it would be the last time we would see him. Liam had just exerted every last ounce of energy for the cause of Meath in the Leinster MFC quarter-final against Offaly. He had scored a point and made a goal, with five minutes remaining Meath were well in contention, a point adrift, but they lost. Speaking to Davy Dalton afterwards, to get his opinion on the game, he was quick to praise the efforts of the players, despite the obvious disappointment. When I received a telephone call on Sunday morning, with the sad news that Liam had been fatally injured in a car accident, I was, no doubt like everyone else who knew Liam, shocked and disbelieving. When I say I 'knew Liam' it is not a completely accurate description. I only knew Liam from what I had seen of him playing football over the last couple of years, for Meath and for his school in Ashbourne. Those who nurtured the talented footballer that Liam Tolan had grown into in a few short years were more aware of the real Liam Tolan. That distance that I enjoy at this sad time didn't lessen the shock and sadness that I felt on Sunday morning as I thought about Liam. And I thought about him. How such a promising young life was extinguished in a moment. How a young man, who was obviously an enthusiastic footballer, would not have the opportunity to mature into one of the most exciting footballers the Royal County would ever see. He was easy to identify. His demeanor was always pleasant. When he got the ball, and he always got plenty of it, you could never predict which way he would go. His jinking, deceptive runs were a constant headache for beleaguered defenders, many who couldn't even get close enough to commit a foul. I remember his performance earlier this year in the Leinster VEC inter-county final against Wicklow at Dublin's Parnell Park, where he scored two points. Manager Kit Henry substituted him with two minutes remaining, at that stage the game was won. Liam managed five points for an under-pressure Meath in the All-Ireland semi-final at Templemore a couple of weeks later against a very good Cork team, which claimed a late victory. He was a key player last year also as Meath and Ashbourne CC enjoyed successful campaigns. So much achieved in such a short time. Unfortunately, full-time arrived for Liam in the early minutes of Sunday morning not too far from his home. I can't even adequately try to imagine what Liam's parents and his brother must have experienced, and have to endure, when they heard about the accident.