Shaun McLaughlin was a man of many talents and the send-off he got at his funeral mass on Monday at St Mary’s Queen of Peace Church in Glenravel was testament to that. Representatives of the all the clubs and sporting organisations that he had been involved with over the years came to pay homage to a great man. Members of those clubs formed a guard of honour as his remains were carried to the church cemetery for burial, Con Magees GAC, Bridini Oga Camogie Club, All Saints Old Boys FC and Cushendall Golf Club. Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill, who played under Shaun at All Saints Primary School travelled over from his home in Edinburgh while former Ballymena United manager Alex McKee (who managed the Sky Blues to Irish Cup success in 1989) and local football officials Arthur McLean and Brian Montgomery were present along with Ulster GAA Council member Danny McLarnon.
Shaun was a talented footballer in his youth playing GAA for the local Con Magees club and once scored 3-1 in a famous league win over the great St John’s team of the early sixties. He won an Under 21 Championship medal in 1964 and a senior Champions title in 1966. He missed out on the final in ’66 because of injury but he was an integral part of that team, and it was always a regret that he didn’t get to share in the club’s biggest ever day.
During his university years at St Mary’s Training College in Belfast he tried his hand at car rallying and he and his co-driver Kevin O’Hagan picked up a few awards in local rallies in the early sixties. When he qualified as a teacher he joined All Saints Primary School in Ballymena he got involved in coaching the school’s soccer team and helped guide them NISFA Telegraph Cup success in 1980 and 1983, the pinnacle honour in schools football. He was also involved in the Ballymena & District team and where local players like Michael O’Neill, Tony McCall and Nigel Worthington first showed their potential.
When former pupils from the school entered a team in the Ballymena & District Saturday Morning League he was ask become All Saints Old Boys President, a request he gladly accepted.
He was a keen golfer and served for more than 20 years as club secretary of Cushendall Golf Club, and was club captain in 1986 before taking over as President, a role he relinquished only recently.
However he was always a proud Glenravel man and he got involved with the Con Magees club after his playing days, taking over as senior team manager in the 1970s. He was elected club president in 1993 and held the position until his sudden death on Friday last. He was the life and soul of the club, serving on various committees and a driving force behind everything they done, despite the fact he was suffering from Parkinson’s disease for the last past ten years. I had the pleasure of working with Shaun during the publication of the club’s history in 2016. He was a diligent worker who put in countless hours of research in Ballymena Library finding match reports and snippets of information relating to the club. He never complained about his massive work load and was always there to lend a helping hand if a problem arose.
Outside of sport he was a major figure in local community groups in Glenravel and the man behind starting Glenravel Festival back at the turn of the century. He was co-founder of the Glenravel Historical Society a few years ago and also organised table quizzes for many years, his wit and banter making him a highly popular quizmaster.
He is survived by his wife Jo, sons Gary and Lee, and sisters Roisin, Sheena and Frances as well as wide family circle.
Each and every club or organisation Shaun McLaughlin was involved with will have special memories of him. He will be fondly remembered for all sorts of reasons. He was hard working, loyal, trustworthy and very, very funny. He hadn’t a political bone in his body.
We shall miss his presence around the Con Magees club as the new season gets underway. I can’t remember attending a match in recent years at Fr Maginn Park that he wasn’t there, despite his many other interests. We will all miss him terribly, but his wife Jo, sons Gary and Lee and close family circle will miss him most of all. To them we offer our sincere condolences.
May Glenravel’s green sod rest lightly on a good and decent man.
Shaun with GAA Presidents Christy Cooney at the opening of the Glenravel clubrroms in 2009 and Aogán Ó Fearghaíl at the club’s book launch in 2016