Paul Curran (1968 – 2014)
It was with great sadness that we heard on Monday morning of the passing of one of our former Senior Footballers, Paul Curran, after a hard fought and brave battle with cancer. Paul joined Ballyboden St Endas in October 1994 and it was no coincidence that a year later we captured the first ever Senior football championship for the club.
Paul was a native of Chapeltown, Valentia, (Valentia is where Kerry greats Mick O’Connell and Maurice Fitzgerald reside – Paul playing with the latter player won a South Kerry Senior championship in 1992). An outstanding Gaelic footballer, Paul was a powerhouse midfielder and one of the stars of the Kerry team that reached the All-Ireland U21 final in 1991 before lining out with the senior team for the 1992 league play-off against Meath. Paul played primarily at centre forward for Ballyboden where he was a prolific scoring forward as he weaved his way nonchalantly through defences. However, he was equally comfortable at mid-field.
Paul, you could say was the quiet man of the team. His soft spoken voice hid a tremendous toughness on the pitch that gave us a great winning platform. He was very much a team player and wasn’t found wanting when it came to building a team spirit. Paul enjoyed the craic with the lads and made a huge impression on the club, settling in easily and getting on with everyone. He later went on to join another Dublin club, St. Olaf’s due to his work commitments. Paul also shared in a number of their successes before he returned to his beloved Kerry.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Karen and daughters Sara, Clodagh and Caoimhe.
Ní bheidh a leithéid ann arís. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.
Ger Flaherty