Paul McKeever Memorial tournament this Saturday
Casement’s Portglenone will host a Gaelic football tournament this Saturday in memory of a former player, committee member and referee, Paul McKeever who sadly passed away last November three months after his diagnosis with yolk sac tumour, a rare form of cancer.
Paul was a devoted husband and father of three children and a lifelong member of the Roger Casement’s club and played on the Sean Stinsons amalgamation with St. Mary’s Ahoghill which won four Antrim Minor championships in a row from 1995 and 1998.
He went on to serve on the Roger Casements committee and following a playing injury took up a very successful refereeing career officiating at Ulster club championship and Ulster minor championship games and was well respected throughout the county.
It was in his work as a juvenile coach with Roger Casement’s that Paul will perhaps be best remembered and his coaching skills and enthusiasm launched the careers of many youngsters in the parish as he introduced another generation to the Gaelic games he loved.
His wife Nicola described how their families life changed for ever back in August 2018 when he was taken to Antrim area hospital suffering from severe headaches, back pain, sweats and weight loss before being diagnosed with a yolk sac tumour.
Mrs McKeever praised the charities ‘Friends of the Cancer Centre’ and ‘Cancer Focus NI’ from whom she and the family received great support during Paul’s illness and following his death.
Saturday’s tournament, ‘Light up the Pitch for Paul’ is a fund raiser for those charities and has attracted 32 U10 and U12 teams from across the province with the Casement’s represented by Paul’s sons, Ryan and Conor.
The event starts at 3-30pm and visitors are asked to donate generously on the day or alternatively you can make a donation on line at http://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jennifer-glackin1
