By Paddy McIlwaine
We at the Saffron Gael were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Anto Finnegan on Saturday night. Anto, though small in stature was a giant amongst Antrim Gaels. Anto Finnegan captained Antrim to the All-Ireland B title in 1999 where they defeated Fermanagh at Casement Park and made a massive contribution to his side’s success.
A year later in 2000 Finnegan captained Antrim to their first Ulster championship win for a decade when they beat Down at Casement Park and was part of the side who took Derry to a replay in that year’s Ulster semi-final and he went on to represent his county with distinction for many years.
His diagnosis with motor neurone disease in 2012 came as a shock to all of us who knew him or had watched him playing the game he loved for his club St. Paul’s or for his beloved Antrim but he accepted the diagnosis with the same fortitude and courage he had displayed on the football field.
He formed the charity deterMND in 2013 and dedicated his time to raising money for research into the disease and promoting greater awareness of the condition and he approached his work with deterMND with the same dedication and determination he had displayed during his playing career.
In 2014 he was instrumental in bringing the All Ireland champions Dublin to play an Irish News selection at the Kingspan stadium, home of Ulster rugby and Dublin manager Jim Galvin has been just one of a number of personalities to pay glowing tributes to the St. Paul’s man.
Three years ago this Thursday Gavin and his management colleague and former Dublin great, Jason Sherlock travelled to Belfast again in 2018 where over 1000 Gaels descended on Falls Park for the deterMND Run for Anto. A few weeks earlier Dublin had defeated Tyrone in the All Ireland final and it showed the high esteem that the Dublin manager held for Anto that he was prepared to take time from his busy schedule to be there with ‘Sam Maguire’
Sean McGreevey, a colleague at St. Paul’s and a fellow member of that successful Antrim side stated recently “Our breakthrough was the 1999 All Ireland B final win over Fermanagh. That was a massive, massive moment when Anto captained us to the final win. I think ‘Mr Antrim’ would be an apt way to describe his dedication to the county”
Anto began his footballing career at Lamh Dhearg where he won an U21 football title and two league titles before moving to St. Paul’s where he had a long and distinguished career. He was part of the St. Paul’s side who won the Antrim Senior Football championship in 2017 in what was regarded as a golden era for the Shaw’s Road club.
My personal memories of Anto Finnegan will be from the many times I would have bumped into him at games all over the county in recent years. Then wheelchair bound but always smiling, he was determined to enjoy his love of the GAA in his beloved county till the end.
His passing has left a massive hole in the heart of not just the GAA fraternity, but of Irish society in general. We have lost a captain, a leader, a hero and an inspiration.
To finish I borrow the lines from a beautiful article which Paddy Heaney wrote about Anto back in 2014 which seem even more apt today….
“Forget about the hand dealt by fate. The good man is remembered. The good husband, the good father, the good brother, the good uncle. While they might leave us, they are always with us. They are always at our side.“
Our thoughts are with Anto’s wife, Alison, son Conall and daughter Ava, plus the wider family during these difficult days.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.