Passing of a man of words with a huge pride of place

Obituary Billy Horan

The tributes poured in from near and far – and from all facets of life – after the death last week of journalist and retired teacher Billy Horan, a man who recorded so much of the news and history of his beloved Ballinrobe over the last 70 years.

Billy Horan, who was also the Connacht Tribune’s long-serving local correspondent for his native area, died suddenly – a month after his 89th birthday – at Mayo University Hospital on Tuesday of last week, surrounded by his loving family.

Ballinrobe GAA Club described Billy as ‘much loved within the community’ and a man who will be sorely missed.

Ballinrobe Racecourse, another organisation to which Billy gave dedicated service for over 50 years, formed guards of honour at the funeral ceremonies in Ballinrobe on Thursday and Friday.

Billy Horan was born in Partry and was the eldest of six children. He was educated in St Jarlath’s College, Tuam, and UCG (now NUIG) and went on to complete a H Dip.

After teaching briefly in Ballygar, he spent the remainder of his career in Ballinrobe – first in the CBS from the early 1950’s and then the Community School when it opened in 1990.

When teaching in the CBS he promoted Gaelic football and was involved in coaching of teams in the Colleran Cup and Flanagan Cup competitions.

English, History and Latin were his subjects, and he engendered a love of the written and spoken word among his pupils, some of whom went on to become reporters and many more to become teachers.

Billy’s love of Gaelic football started from a very young age and his father (Joe) won an All-Ireland Junior Football medal with Mayo.

He was involved in Ballinrobe GAA Club from the very start of his time in Ballinrobe.

He played corner-back for Ballinrobe in the South Mayo Junior Championship. From an early age, he was also involved in the coaching teams.

Throughout the course of his involvement in the club, he was Chairman, Secretary, County Board delegate, South Board delegate, Public Relations Officer (a post he held for many decades) and Scór Officer.

He was heavily involved in the committee that bought and developed Flanagan Park in the early 1960’s. He was also involved in Ballinrobe GAA Club fundraising through the weekly bingo in the old Town Hall and various other initiatives.

Billy was President of the Club and only stood down as President at its AGM last November.

Just last month, the club marked his retirement from the position with a special presentation at the launch of our five-year Strategic Development Plan.

Billy served as Chair of South Mayo GAA Board and was PRO of the South Mayo GAA Board for several decades. He also served as President of Mayo GAA.

Billy was deeply involved in, and had a great grá for, Scór – at divisional, county and provincial levels.

Ballinrobe were very strong in Scór in the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in set dancing and Question Time, and in fact he competed with success in Question Time for Ballinrobe.

Billy had a great belief in preserving Gaelic traditions though, as a Latin scholar and noted teacher, he had broad interests.

He was also a selector for the Mayo Junior team for a time and also served as a referee for a period.

Billy was recognised by Mayo GAA / The Green Above the Red Trust and by the GAA nationally with a President’s Award for his dedication to the GAA.

He started writing the Ballinrobe Notes for Mayo News in 1952. He was to expand his brief over the years and was the longest serving contributor to the Connacht Tribune, a role he filled right up to the week of his passing.

Long before match reporting became such a staple element of the local papers, Billy was an assiduous chronicler of matches.

While his primary interest was the GAA, he was very good at promoting and reporting on other sports in the locality.

Ultimately, the people of Ballinrobe and south Mayo mattered greatly to him, and he afforded coverage to all sorts of sporting, cultural and community events.

Last Monday week, the day before his sad passing, he submitted his final notes for the Connacht Tribune, which appeared as usual in last week’s newspaper.

He loved music, in particular country music, and was an avid radio fan, listening to radio and picking up match commentaries, reports and interviews from around the country through internet radio.

He loved local radio in Mayo and around the country and followed GAA where people he knew were involved very closely.

Billy watched football religiously, and right up to last weekend was watching with great interest the televised National Football League matches.

He also loved horse racing and was a member of the Ballinrobe Race Committee and thrilled to the buzz of the racecourse on race day, meeting and conversing with trainers and jockeys.

He didn’t bet much, but on occasion, after watching a horse that caught his attention over seven or eight-race meet, he’d have a calculated flutter, often with spectacular success though the wager might be modest.

Billy was also involved in the old Ballinrobe Town Hall, Ballinrobe Active Retirement Association, the Town Development Company and the campaign to build An Sportlann, now the Lakeside Sports and Fitness Centre and the running of it in its early years

Billy enjoyed largely good health right until the very end. His passing leaves a sadness in the whole community as is evident by the messages received by his family since his passing from every element of society, including his former students in Ballinrobe CBS and Ballinrobe Community School.

Predeceased by his loving wife Ina in January 2021, brothers Aidan (New Jersey), Frank (Luton) and Con (Limerick), Billy will be sadly missed by his sons Michael (Dublin), Liam (Ballinrobe) and Maurice (Tralee); daughters Liz Bree (Westport) and Sara (Ballinrobe); son-in-law Paul, daughters-in-law Teresa, Noreen and Bríd; grandchildren, Dara (Westport and Boston), Patrick and Fiona (Westport), Sinead, Michelle and Emma (Dublin), Ina, Kimberley, Jean and Murray (Tralee), sisters, Maura Roche (Moate) and Carmel Biggins (Ballinrobe), relatives, neighbours and cherished circle of friends.

His Requiem Mass took place at St Mary’s Church, Ballinrobe, with burial immediately afterwards in New Cemetery.