Declan O’Neill – FÍOR GAEL
It was somewhat inevitable, that Declan O’Neill would become a stalwart of the Omagh St Enda’s club. Taking on the club secretary role in 1962 as a very young man suggested that this was someone who had the talent and confidence in their ability to make things happen. That he was able to star in the Senior Championship winning team of 1963 as well as maintaining the role of secretary along with being an instrumental part of the Park Committee proved that this confidence was well placed. For the next 35 years, Declan was a constant in the Omagh St Enda’s Committee 21 of which were at the helm as Chairman.
It was not just in the Committee room that Declan made his mark. An O’Neill cup medal in his pocket along with two St Enda’s cup wins and an Intermediate Championship medal in 1977 in a strong club career, Declan also represented Tyrone at senior inter-county level. His call up to the senior panel was somewhat bittersweet as along with his team-mates in the Tyrone Junior team in 1968, Declan had qualified for an All-Ireland final, however as a member of the senior panel he was prevented from playing in the Junior final!
During his tenure as Chairman, Declan oversaw the development of the grounds at Healy Park, culminating in the building of our current clubrooms and one of the best venues in Ireland in our new social centre in 1984. An astute businessman, Declan was also very articulate and was a serious man to debate with, however, he had an innate ability to always be respectful to those he did not necessarily agree with.
Throughout his years of dedication to the club, his family were first and foremost. His beloved wife Agnes RIP was the backbone of all Declan achieved and more than once he was heard to say, “behind every good man is a better woman!” His love of the GAA was passed on to his children, Siobhan, Damien, Deirdre and Nuala and he took great pleasure in their achievements on the field and on the various Scór stages around Tyrone, Ulster and Ireland.
So highly was Declan respected both within the club and throughout the GAA community, he was elected Chairman of Tyrone County Board in 1993 having the distinction of being the first, and to date only St Enda’s club person to do so. Following his time in this role, it was an automatic step to move on to the Ulster Council, a role which he was brilliantly suited to and excelled in.
Throughout his tenure on the club Committee, Declan had a serious interest in the development of our youth players. Indeed, as early as the 1964 AGM, he commented that due to various other developments including the new pitch that the eye had been taken off the ball in terms of the youth and set about rectifying this with his normal gusto. Declan also had a very definitive sense of right and wrong and was not behind the door in dealing with issues as they arose. A small example of this was in 1993 when our U16 team had qualified for the Championship final and were training early in the week before the game. The previous weekend they had played a league game in Carrickmore and one of the Carrickmore senior jerseys had been “borrowed” by one of the Omagh lads.
On being advised of this Declan arrived at training and promptly advised that unless the aforementioned jersey was returned that he would be withdrawing the team from the Championship. Needless to say, the jersey surfaced immediately after the training session and was returned to its rightful owner!
As ill-health impacted on Declan, he stepped down from the Committee, however, he was still a fairly constant presence around the club willing to provide guidance and give advice to those tasked with continuing the job. There was many a lively AGM and Declan was always to the forefront, encouraging those stewarding the ship to keep going and to keep improving. In 2008, his service to the GAA was rewarded by the receipt of the Presidential Award by Uachtarán Nicky Brennan. In 2019, along with Tom Flanagan, Declan received the Credo award for over 50 years service to the GAA.
Legend is a term thrown around all too easily these days, however, to the community of Omagh St Enda’s it is the only apt description of Declan who gave selflessly of his time for the betterment of others and to grow the Gaelic spirit and presence in the County town. His legacy however is clear to everyone who steps inside the grounds at Healy Park and we are truly grateful for what he and his peers have left for us today. Your trojan work is done a chara, now it’s time to rest.
Slán leis an Rí, Codhlamh Sámh.
