Mick Mangan RIP 1921-2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Mick Mangan, Bray Emmets Club President who died last weekend was a tremendous contributor to the development of Bray Emmets over more than 60 years. As a mark of respect all matches and activities in Bray Emmets were cancelled over the past weekend.
Jack Napier, a very good friend of Mick's and also a long time stalwart of Bray Emmets, contributed to this appreciation of Mick's life in Bray and especially his lifetime involvement with Bray Emmets..
Mick was born in 1921 in Graun, near Glencar, not far from Killorglin in Kerry. Mick moved initially to Dublin where he played for a time with C.J Kickam's. Mick came to Bray in 1945 and almost immediately joined Bray Emmets. He was an above average footballer, a tight marker and endowed with plenty of skill. He was also a fine handballer. With these attributes and his great enthusiasm it was soon apparent that he would become a great asset to the club.
He was employed in the Drapery trade, and with his wife Millie, ran a grocery store on the Main Street in Bray.
A quick look through the Bray Emmet's Club History, By the Banks of the Dargle, shows the extraordinary contribution of Mick to the Club. He appears as player on the Senior Football team of 1949, the Hurling team of 1969 as mentor, as a handballer and he also appears with his two sons, Terry and Tom when they all played on the same Bray Emmet's team together. He also appears on innumerable times as mentor, club officer and committee member. A particular picture of the Junior Hurling Championship winners of 1963 has the caption 'another good team but a bad picture' - a friendly jibe at Mick who was photographer. However, without Mick's little box camera the occasion would not have been recorded.
As well as many awards in football, Mick won the County handball doubles title in 1953 and 1955.
He had a particular gra for the famous Bray Emmet's Banner which is now held in the Museum in Croke Park. This banner, which dates back to 1887, was carried by Mick on several occasions, from the 150th Anniversary of Emmet's death in 1953 to 1984 for the 100th Anniversary of the GAA. He was also a good Irish speaker, but never boasted about his knowledge.
Mick also turned his hand to Refereeing where he helped spread his strongly held views on fair play and abhorrence of dirty play.
Mick held innumerable posts in Bray Emmets, including Committee member, Treasurer, Chairman and was President on his death.In The Banks of the Dargle, Mick was honoured in a poem about Bray Emmets with the following lines ' And Mangan from Kerry was a clubman worth Gold'. Mick was a tower of strength all through his association with the club and even in the barren days he never lost faith. The present strength of the club stems from the work of people such as Mick.
The Club honoured him for the last time with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Annual Dinner Dance in 2006 - a well earned accolade.
Deepest sympathy to his daughter Eileen and sons Tony, Terry and Tom
'Farewell Mick how we'll miss you
Your shoes we'll never fill
Your heart was borrowed from a lion
Then they threw away the mould'
Ar dheis De go raibh a anam.
