We were saddened to learn of the death of Hugh Cahill. Hugh was a former officer of Down GAA and the father of our current County Treasurer Diarmuid. We all have good memories of him - a Monaghan man by birth, he came first to Newry where he won a Minor Football Championship medal with Newry Shamrocks. When he moved to live in Cranfield, having retired from the retail shoe business in Newry, he immersed himself in the work of club and county; with An Ríocht, the South Down Committee and the County Committee.
Having been elected to the South Down Committee initially, Hugh soon took on a number of roles at County Committee level, serving as County Registrar, County Safety Officer, Comhairle Programme Coordinator and then finally as County Development Officer. In each of the roles, Hugh made a huge contribution, and as a member of Coiste Bainistíochta, his knowledge of business and his wise counsel was a great asset.
As County Development Officer, Hugh had a meticulous approach to the role. He sought to protect the clubs and to see them develop within the ethos of Cumann Lúthchleas Gael. He single handedly ensured that all club trustees were in order during his time in office, all done to ensure that club structures were compliant. Hugh might not have known it at the time, but his approach was what we now have come to know as good governance. He was conscious of audit and risk again before it became part of the GAA mantra.
Each summer, Hugh undertook the grounds inspections with his great friend Dan McCartan. This was a chance to see how our clubs were progressing with their facilities and to identify areas where Hugh, as County Development Officer, could help to make a difference for their members and their community. The visits were much more than that - the route of the journey around our 48 clubs was planned to perfection. It also had a social aspect, as Hugh and Dan were greeted in all clubs and got to spend time renewing old friendships and were treated to the best of home bakes in many places, with the promise always to return again next year. The Ground Inspections would sometimes extend into a second week, for as we know Hugh loved to chat, and time was never a worry for these two great men in this role.
Hugh had a great desire to nurture new talent for Down GAA and the Association as a whole. He saw the Comhairle Programme as an opportunity to attract and develop new administrators, and it is testimony to his good work that several of our senior officers are graduates of the Comhairle Programme where Hugh upskilled them as facilitators. He saw the benefits for our youth in involvement in the GAA. He had a great rapport with our youth and always maintained a genuine interest in how our young people were doing; always a word of encouragement or the sharing of a life experience, and all in the best interests of people young and old.
Hugh was also a trusted member of the Ulster Council Monday Club, where he would travel with Danny Murphy to assist with counting duties, before we had come to the era of cashless gates. Games of the weekend were discussed and the work was done. On the journey to and from, Hugh, Danny and their team would put to right the worlds of Down and Ulster GAA.
In all of his work, Hugh was supported by his wife Caitlin. They shared a wonderful life and they were very proud too of the achievements of Ciaran and Diarmuid. When Diarmuid joined Hugh on Coiste Bainistíochta, it was a proud moment and a rare thing to have a father and son at the top table in Down GAA. Hugh was a very happy man when the grandchildren came along. He was a huge part of their lives and he followed their progress in every aspect of their lives - and whether it be with St Johns or An Ríocht, he was delighted that they were participating in Gaelic Games.
We all could share a story or two of Hugh; he was a man who made a great contribution over many years to Down GAA. He had a love of our games, a great desire to help others, to see our clubs flourish and to see our young people be part of an Association that had been a huge part of his life, and from which he had obtained great enjoyment. Hugh Cahill might have been born in Monaghan, but he became one of our own. He was a Down man, a man who always gave of his best for the clubs of the county and who made a difference to many in his roles within Down GAA. For that we are most grateful.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam
