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A TRIBUTE TO JOHN ‘LACK’ O’SULLIVAN It
should have been the best of times, but for the Adrigole Club it ended up being
the worst of times. Adrigole had just reached the County Junior 1 Football
Championship, and the buzz around the sprawling parish at the foot of Hungry
Hill was palpable to say the least. In a club that sleeps, eats and drinks
football, there was an air of expectancy that their hour to shine had finally
come. All that changed in an instant. One minute everyone was caught up in the
euphoria of the occasion, while in the next it was like waking up from a
nightmare of hellish proportions. News had just filtered through that their star
corner-forward, 26 year old; John "Lack" O'Sullivan had tragically
lost his life as a result of a swimming accident. Just like September 11th
that is remembered for all the wrong reasons, the date November 19th
2002 will be indelibly marked upon the minds of all those fortunate enough to
know the man. John who hailed from the town land of Lackavane in Adrigole, from
which he derived his nickname "Lack", was one of the most amicable
young men, you could meet. The previous week it was his scoring exploits which
earned Adrigole a place in the final, contributing six points in all, including
the winner, after the final whistle his parents were naturally ecstatic as they
savoured the adulation which was being bestowed upon their only son following
his outstanding display of the previous hour. Little could have prepared them
for the event that would change their lives forever. Like a Shakespearean play
unfolding before your very eyes except in this instance it was real life and the
main character was your very own. The Adrigole Parish with a population of just
under 400 people has suffered more than most in recent years, as a result of a
number of tragic accidents. It begs the question, Why us? Unfortunately there
are no simple answers. As
a footballer John had few equals and was involved at all grades with his club
winning many medals in the process which included five consecutive Beara Junior
Football Championship Medals. He won a County Munster & All Ireland Senior
Vocational Football Championship with the Beara Community School in 1994 with
the Beara U 21's he won County Titles in 1996
& 1997. The pinnacle of his footballing career came in 1997 when he
won a Cork county Senior Football Championship medal with Beara. During
his sojourn in Australia, John was part of an Irish Selection, which won the
inaugural Australian Rules World Cup Competition. To
his parents, his sister Maria, relatives, neighbour and his many friends we
extend our deepest sympathy. "Ar
dheis lamh Dé a bhfiul a hanam dílis" The
follow extract from Johnny "the clerk" Houlihan's poem "What is
it all" seems so appropriate and fitting.
What is it all - just passing through -?
A cross for me and a cross for you.
Ours seems heavy, while others light.
But God in the end maketh all things right.
He "tempers the wind" with such loving care,
Knows the burden that each can bear.
Then changes life's grey into heavenly gold.
Ah that is all when all is told. Seán Ó Murchú
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