Last weekend Casements and Tir na nÓg stalwart John McAtamney passed away. Part of a legendry GAA family from South West Antrim he was well know and loved in both clubs.

Here we included two tributes to the great man, one from his granddaughter Aimee who is a regular contributor to Saffron Gael, and the other from his niece Mary Jayne Orr who paid tribute to her Uncle John on one of her regular ‘Nelly’s Garden‘ blogs.

John McAtamney (82), Barnish Road Randalstown, formerly of Lisnahunchion Portglenone. By Aimee McAtamney

Son of John and Jeannie, John McAtamney grew up in Lisnahunchion, Portglenone surrounded by his brothers Jamesy, Aenas, Anthony, Vincent and sisters Frances, Sheena, Teresa and Mairead. John went into the family business and assisted his father in the grocery lorry and shop, later taking it over.

At the age of 22 he met Clare McAnespie from Creggan and they went on to marry and have a family of six; Sean, Ann, Nuala, Michael, Marie and Liam. He was blessed with 18 grandchildren and 3 great children at the time of his passing.

Despite having health difficulties from a young age, John was a simple man. His family, faith and love of GAA made him the man he was. You can take the man out of Portglenone, but you can’t take the Portglenone out of the man. He was fond of his tipple of whiskey and always looked for the best and saw the best in every person that came in and out of his life.

With such strong County Antrim connections he was wasn’t best pleased when all three of his daughters married and moved to County Derry. He faithfully followed all his grandchildren playing hurling, football and camogie for all their clubs; Tír na nÓg, Cargin, Magherafelt, Glen and Bellaghy.

He was equally as well respected in his club up the road – Tír na nÓg – as he was in his beloved Roger Casements. An irreplaceable figure in our lives but someone who has left us all with lifelong memories

John will be sorely missed by all his friends and family.

Uncle John: By Mary Jayne Orr

Sitting this morning in a chapel only a few miles from where I live yet I’ve never been in it before. I got there early. They were bringing the remains from Randalstown to Portglenone for the service then afterwards back to Randalstown for the burial. The chapel was packed, standing room only. There were at least six priests on the altar, maybe more. That’s a lot. My Uncle John was very well known, a big family, six children, eighteen grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. A dynasty. Through his own efforts and those of his children and grandchildren he was connected to  a lot of GAA clubs, he played for Roger Casement’s in Portglenone, met my Aunt Clare at a match at Kickham’s in Creggan and after their subsequent marriage and settling in Randalstown he became a well-respected supporter of Tír na nÓg, where many of his grandchildren played. Then there were the Derry clubs he supported for all of his three daughters had crossed the River Bann to marry Derry men and their children played for a rival county. Not that Uncle John cared where they played as long as they played hard and well.

But, oh, he was a good and tolerant man too. He still had a lot of time for those who didn’t play football, camogie or hurling. John was supportive and kind to me when life was hard and problematic. He never judged, he always cared. It was for this reason that I asked him to be godfather to my eldest child, who I raised, for the first five years of her life, as a single parent. 

Now, as I’ve said, John was A GAA man to his core. An Irishman, a Gael, a Catholic. That’s who he was. But there was not an iota of bigotry or sectarianism in the man. Reared in an area that was predominantly Protestant and Presbyterian he respected well and was in turn very well thought of by his neighbours. As it turned out I have come to live in a place only a couple of miles from where John’s family lived and when I’d tell folk that I was connected to him I could feel myself rising in their estimation.

So, there you go, the end of an era. Another good man departed this earth. He’ll not be forgotten. Kindness is never forgotten. Thank you, Uncle John.