Club and community pay tribute to GAA stalwart

THE MEELICK community was united in sadness on the recent death of Joe Sherlock – a former player, team manager and chairman of Meelick GAA.

His playing career began in 1950 and continued until 1982. He re-ignited his hurling career during the 1990’s lining out in over 40’s tournament games.

As a player Joe played on the Clare minor hurling team in 1955 and 1956. In 1959 he was on the Clare senior panel for the national league.

At St. Michael’s CBS Sexton Street he won the Dean Ryan cup in 1954 and was on the Harty cup team to reach the final in 1955. In 1956 he won a Munster colleges senior football medal.

At Sexton street CBS he developed an early reputation as a tenacious defender “that didn’t spare the ash” It was playing for CBS that he held the great Tipperary hurler , Jimmy Doyle ,scoreless ! A feat not achieved by many.

On the club front, Joe won three Junior championships, one Intermediate championship and one Old Ground medal with Meelick / Parteen and one Limerick county medal with Treaty Sarsfields in 1960. He worked for many years at De Beers in Shannon, where he played Inter firm hurling .

In 1975, Joe was elected Chairman of Meelick GAA club and in his inaugural speech , Joe said his aim was that Meelick GAA would have their own pitch as we approached the centenary year of the foundation of the GAA.

Thanks to Joe’s foresight, hard work and perseverance on the pitch at Knockalisheen, Meelick became a reality.

Over the years Joe coached and managed many teams at all grades – he simply loved the game of hurling and greatly encouraged the skills of the game. He was particularly fond of ground hurling. Joe was a selector when Meelick won the Junior

A title in 1987, he was manager in 1992 and 1995 when Meelick reached the Junior A final.

Joe, accompanied by Mairead, rarely missed a game involving Meelick and his love of all things GAA has been passed on to his children and grandchildren. Joe’s great work will continue into the future.

Joe was very proud of the great family tradition “That Meelick rarely, if ever, won a championship without a Sherlock on the team” going back 1917, when Joe’s father Tommy was full back on the Meelick Intermediate hurling team that won the county championship.

Joe will be greatly missed by all that knew him – may he rest in gentle peace.

He died Peacefully, at home, surrounded by his loving family.

Deeply missed by his heartbroken family – his wife Mairead; children Maria, Mike, Declan and Cathal; son-in-law Dave; daughters-in-law Edel, Jenny and Aíne; grandchildren Adam, Bobby, Cian, Darragh, Eila, Joe, Aisling and Conor, sisters-in-law Eileen Sherlock, Eileen Mc Nulty, Sr. Agnus and Mary Dillon, nephews, nieces, extended family, neighbours, and his many friends.

May he rest in peace.

Tribute submitted by Donal O’Shea, Meelick-Parteen notes correspondent