By John ‘Curly’ McIlwaine

They came from far and wide on Thursday to bid farewell to Paddy McShane. Old opponents and team mates who had hurled with and against him back in the sixties and seventies, farmers and men he had dealt with during his working years. But the majority were local people, friends whose lives he had touched during his 82 years on this earth. The great extended McShane family, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews who had been there for days at his warm and welcoming home, helping and comforting his wife Kate and sons Daniel and Eóin. The house was a buzz of activity during an extended wake where the hundreds who came were refreshed with tea, food, kindness and stories of the great man and his exploits both on and off the field.

They carried his coffin on the half mile journey from his home on the Harbour Road to St Mary’s & St Joseph’s Church, the nieces and grand-nieces taking their turn in that lovely Irish rite. It brought to mind Seamus Heaney’s lovely poem ‘The Lift’ about his aunt’s funeral where he wrote…

“They bore her lightly on the bier, Four women,

Four friends..she would have called them girls..stepped in

And claimed the final lift beneath the hawthorn”

Other family members, neighbours and old team mates took their turn as the cortege turned off the Harbour Road and along the Main Street, those majestic long fields of Ballintoy providing a stunning backdrop.

The church and the hall across the road were full to capacity with many more standing outside listening to Fr Fulton’s beautiful eulogy. A few miles up the coast big Shane Lowry was leading the Open, Rory was struggling and Gmac was rousing the home fans as they battled the squally showers, but thankfully in Ballintoy the weather stayed fine. As they carried him from the church afterwards, up the steep incline to the graveyard, members of McQuillan’s club were joined by team-mates of the 1970 All Ireland Intermediate winning side as they formed a guard of honour on his last journey. Afterwards there was more tea, sustenance and stories at his brother Seamus’s Sheep Island Hostel a few yards up the road. A great send off for a great man.

Paddy McShane was born in Ballintoy in 1937, part of a family of eight, Eileen, Breedh, Brian, Claire, Seamus, Lena and Sean. He started his hurling with Ballycastle in his teenage years and was a member of the McQuillan’s team who were beaten by St John’s in the 1956 minor final. Success came eight years later when the ‘Town’ beat Loughgiel in the 1964 Senior county final in Glenariffe, a team that also included his brothers Seamus and Sean. He was still there when they next tasted success at county level eleven years later in 1975, beating Sarsfields in the final, again in Glenariffe. Anyone who was there that day will never forget his display at centre-half back as he gave a man of the match display at 38 years of age. A performance so good that county chairman of the time Jack Rooney highlighted it in his speech at county convention later that year.

Paddy also hurled for Antrim and in 1970 was part of the Saffrons side that beat Warwickshire in Croke Park in the All Ireland Intermediate Hurling final. He was a deep thinker of the game and loved the coaching the team got from Cork legend Justin McCarthy during that 1970 campaign. McCarthy was still hurling at the time and was younger than a lot of the players on the team, but injury had ruled him out that season so he was persuaded to come up to Antrim and coach them. Paddy and Justin became firm friends and when McCarty took the Waterford team he managed to 2004 Munster Championship success up to Antrim just two weeks after their success he brought the team out to Ballintoy where Paddy acted as an unofficial ‘tourist guide’.     

Paddy McShane was a man of many qualities. He was steadfast and loyal, decent…and generous to a fault. He was a true Gael who loved the hurling, the music and all things connected with Irish culture.

He was cool and laid back about many things. When he and Kate got married in June 1982 he rang me the evening before the wedding and asked “Curly are you doing anthing tomorrow, I need a wheen of photos taken” I replied ‘ Well I’m supposed to be working Paddy, but what is it you need photograhed’ thinking it might be something on the farm. ” No” he replied “Kate and me are getting married”. No doubt he had told Kate that everying was organised, but he was cutting it fine.

Any time you visited him in Ballintoy he never let you leave without a gift of some sort, be it a bag of spuds or some of Kate’s beautiful shortbread. He loved the craic and the banter and even when ill health had taken its toll in his later years he never lost that warm welcoming spirit. You always left him feeling better than you did when you first met him.

He will be sadly missed by all of us who knew him, but that loss will be felt most by his family…and Kate, Daniel and Eóin in particular. To them we offer our sincere condolence.

The bright light of heaven to you Paddy boy!