Family and friends take to the hills for a diamond guy

Family and friends scaled one of the west’s most scenic walks to remember a much loved husband, father and sporting stalwart – on a trek that he’d loved to have managed himself were it not for his battle with Cystic Fibrosis.

Sadly James Devaney died earlier this year, but the impact he made on all who knew him – family, work colleagues in NUI Galway and the GAA fraternity in Moycullen – meant that his legacy was never going to go with him.

So last Sunday over 100 of his friends and family climbed Diamond Hill in his memory.

“The setting was of particular importance as James often tried to climb the hill but due to his illness he could never manage, he often wished that he could bring his kids to the peak,” explained one of the organisers of the event, David O’Reilly, this week.

Former work colleagues in NUIG came on board with Moycullen GAA and the wider Moycullen community in what David called their quest to turn the Diamond Purple.

“The sunshine added to a hugely positive day, people climbed at their own pace and within the group were kids, adults and grandparents. The high regard that James was held in was obvious to all the organisers,” he said.

As the main group gathered at the top, James’ wife Shayna addressed the crowd and expressed her delight with the turnout and the effort of everyone concerned.

To see so many CF Purple tee shirts would have made James a very proud man, she said.

James’s two boys Michael (10) and Jack (6) also completed the walk and they were surrounded with friends and team mates from their football and hurling teams.

The funds raised are in aid of Cystic Fibrosis Galway Hospital Project and the figure has broken the €2,000 mark with more monies to come in.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.