Susan O’Brien (1948-2025)
On behalf of the Kilruane MacDonaghs GAA & Camogie Club, I would like to pay this tribute to our Vice President Susan O’Brien. The grandfather of Indira Ghandi, former prime minister of India, told her that there were two kinds of people; those who do the work and those who take the credit. He advised her to try and be in the first group; there was much less competition there.” Susan O’Brien definitely belonged to the group that did the work and didn’t claim the credit. She has been involved with the Kilruane MacDonaghs club for fifty years. Susan joined the committee in the mid-1970s and has been a constant presence in the club since then. She has served during six decades, under eleven chairmen, ten secretaries and seven treasurers. Susan worked tirelessly for the club in good days and bad, when resources were sparse and money was scarce. She was one of the first women to serve on the committee in an organisation that was male dominated. Practical and pragmatic, she proved herself to be a very active and very effective committee member in her own quiet, unassuming way.
Susan was dependable and reliable. During her long tenure of service, few could equal her attendance record at meetings. In all kinds of weather, Susan answered the call. She was always one of the first to arrive and seated herself in the front row. Her voice was seldom heard at meetings. Susan only spoke when she had something to say and never spoke for the sake of saying something. Maybe Susan was familiar with the advice of the renowned spiritual leader the Dali Lama when he said : “When you talk, you are repeating what you already know, but if you listen you may learn something new.” Susan’s very presence at meetings spoke volumes for her loyalty which remained strong, her dedication which remained steadfast and her commitment which remained constant. She was never one to seek the limelight and did her utmost to avoid the spotlight. In GAA clubs, the length and breadth of the country, there are foot soldiers like Susan doing Trojan work, expecting no recognition, seeking no reward, anticipating no acclaim, and contemplating no credit. In all her sterling work for the club, that warm, friendly smile was seldom absent from her face and the kind considerate word was ever ready on her lips.
As a fundraiser, Susan had few peers. She always sold her quota of tickets and usually exceeded her quota when others were struggling to reach theirs. Since the launch of the Tipperary Draw in 1988 and our Club Lotto in 1996, Susan has been one of our top promoters. Selling for the club was never a chore for her. Susan embraced the task with enthusiasm while others dithered and delayed. Her cheerful and pleasant personality made it difficult for people to refuse. Susan was never forward nor pushy in promoting our fundraisers. She was in her element during our successful Sales of Work. Susan traipsed the streets of Nenagh to secure items for the stalls or the Wheel of Fortune from traders of every description. I doubt if she ever left a premises emptyhanded.
Susan has been involved with Kilruane Bingo since the first number was called in the Fr. O’Meara Centre. Along with Des Gaynor, Sean Melia and a small but dedicated group of volunteers, the Bingo was kept afloat when many sessions went under. Susan was very popular with her Bingo buddies, and her popularity ensured that she sold a sizeable amount of Lotto tickets each Saturday night. Where money was concerned, Susan was trustworthy and dependable. Everything was in order, and there was order in everything when she made her returns. Whether it was old money or new, pounds or pence, euros or cents, she collected valuable revenue for the club coffers.
It wasn’t all work and no play for Susan. She enjoyed social occasions, particularly the Dinner Dances. I rooted out two photos of Susan at Dinner Dances in the early 1970s when crowds of three and four hundred patrons squashed into O’Meara’s Hotel in Nenagh. In one photo, Susan and Michael are in the company of their great friends Sean and Rachel Melia. At this year’s Dinner Dance on 11th January in Ashley Park, Susan and Michael are once again photographed with Sean and Rachel. Susan said that it was one of the most enjoyable Dinner Dances that she had ever attended and that we should have one every year. Sadly, at the next one, we will be missing a familiar friendly face. It won’t be quite the same without Susan.
In 2024, Susan was elected Vice-President of the Kilruane MacDonaghs GAA & Camogie Club to succeed her Bingo colleague, the late Des Gaynor. When the vacancy occurred Susan’s election was inevitable and universally acclaimed. It was honour she didn’t expect, she richly deserved, and she greatly appreciated.
On behalf of the club, I would like to extend sympathy to her husband Michael, her son Alan, daughters Aoife and Sinéad, the O’Brien and Kennedy families.
We thank the O’Brien family for giving us the loan of Susan for half a century. We appreciated her service and never took it for granted.
The following post on Rip.ie sums up how we all felt about her. “Susan was a character beautiful inside and out. A lady in every sense of the word.” A short but eloquent tribute.
Susan will be sadly missed by her family, but she will also be missed by the community in general and Kilruane MacDonaghs in particular.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam dilís.
