2 weeks Ago
A GALWAY COMMUNITY is in shock following the death of a former All Star hurler who died in an accident on Friday evening clearing up storm damage near his home. Michael Coleman, an All-Ireland senior hurling winner with Galway in 1988, died following the accident at his home in Crumlin, Ballyglunin. The 61-year-old was heavily involved in a variety of community events, including sport, the church, senior citizens’ group and a host of other local activities.
His neighbour and friend Deputy Peter Roche said the community has been stunned by the shock death. “He was one of the finest people I have ever met. He was non-stop doing things for the community.
It’s incredible to be even talking about him in the past tense. “He epitomised everything and anything you would want in a person. He organised everything, he was a doer.
Nobody could say ‘no’ to him, yet he always stayed in the background. He would look for progress reports, he would drive people on but he never looked for credit or for glory. “He organised the senior citizens’ party every year, he fundraised for Brooklodge Church, he was involved in everything in the hurling club.
He organised raffles and events to raise money for different projects in the community. He was just always doing stuff, not for his own good but for the good of his neighbours and community, young and old. “Is it any wonder people are just stunned as the word spreads? People can’t believe it.
He will be such a huge loss to the community but our thoughts and prayers are with his family. We just can’t believe this has happened,” said the Fine Gael deputy. Michael Coleman is survived by his wife Mary, daughter Sinead and son Dara.
Only last week Sinead was the recipient of a camogie All Star award in Galway following her exploits for Abbeyknockmoy in 2024, while Dara has been a prominent member of the club hurling team in recent years. It is the latest tragedy to hit the Abbeyknockmoy family. In 2009 his sister Ann, a former Galway camogie player, died along with her husband Joe O’Connell, a former Kerry hurler, in a motoring accident in Iowa in the United States.
Their three children, Sarah who was 15 at the time, Colman who was 13 then and Maeve who was ten, were injured in the accident. The orphaned children were raised by the extended Coleman family in Galway after relocating from the family home in Wisconsin. Michael Coleman emerged on the scene as a hurler when he won an All-Ireland U-21 medal in 1983.
In 1987 he was at midfield when Galway defeated Clare to win the league title but by September he was only a spectator on Hill 16 when they won the All-Ireland title against Kilkenny, having been dropped for the championship. However, he did not let that disappointment impact him and by the following year he played a starring role at midfield when Galway retained the All-Ireland title against Tipperary and went on to enjoy over a decade on the county senior side. He followed up that 1998 All-Ireland win by inspiring Abbeyknockmoy later that year when they won their first and only Galway senior hurling title, pipping holders Athenry by a point in a replay.
Coleman won the first of his three All Star awards the following season in 1989, and was also honoured in ’90 and in ’95. In 1996 he captained Galway to a league final win over Tipperary, when he collected his third medal in the grade..
