The matriach of Dunderry GAA Club and A PURE LADY died on 22/03/2021 after being persecuted by the virus I underatand.Her funeral was delayed for a fortnight as a consequence.
The earliest memory I have of Lawless Cross and its environs is somewhere in the early 1960's and is of a game of Dunderry handball being played at the Cross.
The unique rules of this game was that the court was about 30 yards long the width of the road with a dividing line in the middle..
Like tennis there were serves and the hand was used to proplel the ball.The number on each Team was variable and there was money at stake.
The idea was to strike the ball into thre opponents half by hopping it there and the skill was to do it in such a way that they could not return it to your half ping it within your lines.
There was little trafic then and any that did come during a hotly contested game had to just wait until a break in service..
Even at that young age I was impressed with the seriousness of the game and totally aware that the most sarious honour a GAA Player could attain was to represent his County..Phil Fay who lived at the Cross was and is Dunderry's favourite Longford man.
I remember that he was selected for Longford in a Navan match on certain Sunday and was invilved in a handball game the same Sunday which ran up against match time.
He finished the handball game behore he headed off ,running the match time a very slender time gap.
It was probably the this code of honour which lead to a successful conclusion to his courtship of Molly Costello who was at the match and undoubtedly noticed his athlethic prowess
.Lawless Cross was the epicentre of Dunderry GAA at the time.You had Phil Fay ,the Newmans,the Callaghans,the Lawlesses ,the Fatleys,the Cregans ,the Conatys,the Conways,the Healys, ,the Mc Cormacks,the Nallys,the Dufftys and Tom ;Lawless and Dolly and Thomas Duignanall withih a mile of the Cross.
Jack Conway gave the Clugb the field for games.All the Mc Cormacks for at least two generations back played with Dunderry,my uncle Tommy being Chair for three decades at least.
Tom Lawlesses' daughter Mary ,the closest friend Molly ever had married Paddy Kavanach ,a fine player who refeered
n All Ireland Final after wards.Their son is Chairman of the Meath County Board.
Mary stayed in our house in Blanch. as a child on holidays.
I learned my football in Conways field and made my Junior debut with Eugene Newman against Martrty in Navan aged 16 years.
Lawless Crosx was indeed a Shangrs La for all about it and central to it was the calming and utterly goodness of Molly Fay.
She had a geat heart ,was as honest as the day is long ,as calm as you would like ,a great listener and she could spot a spoofer a mile waway.
Her and Phil were the first I always visited and sought advice from when I suspected odd things impinging on the Club.They were the souls of discretion and wise totally.
For years now Molly and Phil attended Dunderry Mass ,he praying at one side of the Church and she at the other.Just so.
I would say that she didn't miss a Dyunderry Match for decvades,Phil brought her everywhere to attend.He always parked at a place with a good view ,as she took it all in and could discuss it with knowledge.
She was a great friend to Josie Travers ,Marie O Brien ,her cousins and Mary Cregan.They were well able to skull a few ladylike pints when in form and I often met them out.
When I came here to live in 1986 her son Phil was such an outstanding footballer and hurler so that when he played well,which was most of the time,dunderry played well as a team.She did not miss any matches then nor afterwards and never bragged about either the feats of either her son nor indeed her husband.
Her daughter Marina was killed in a car accident near her home and Molly carried this burden until she died.
Not only she but her brother Joe ,were totally immersed in the GAA.
Before I came here I saw Joe with an Ultan's team in St.Brigids my former Club.
Purely by coincidence ,or maybe not,her niece married anothe Fay,Darren ,probably the best footballer to play at full back for Meath.
I know her son Phil fairly well .All the qualitied both she and her husband posses are present in spades in him ,his wife Edel and his daughters Tara and and Eimear ,who ply thrir Camogie trades with my daughter Mags in O Mahony's.
On behalf of myself,my extended familly,Dunderty GAA Club,of which Phil is a trustee and President all the Gaels of this Parish and indeed further afield I exptend my fullest symparthies.
Ar Dheis De go raibh a hANAM dILIS.
