St Eunan's enshrine 'two great men' in Noel McDermott and Michael McGrath

Noel McDermott and Michael McGrath were forever enshrined at O’Donnell Park - the home of St Eunan’s GAA club - on St Patrick’s Day.

Both Noel, who was 43, and Michael, 40, passed away within a week of one another in early 2018, with Noel tragically dying in a cycling accident and Michael passing away at Donegal Hospice through bowel cancer.

They were immensely popular figures at the Letterkenny club, with a huge crowd gathering for a special ceremony to name their hurling wall after Michael and car park in memory of Noel.

Members of the McDermott family at the unveiling of the late Noel McDermott's plaque at O'Donnell Park

“It’s a tough day for many of us, but an important day to mark these two great St Eunan’s men that went far too soon,” St Eunan’s club chairman John Haran said. “Michael was a great hurling man who was part of the refounding of the team in the mid-nineties, who had a great contribution to hurling in St Eunan’s down the years.

Paddy Flood both played and managed Michael down the years and he added that few have given so much to hurling at St Eunan’s.

The hurling wall at O'Donnell Park that was named after the late Michael McGrath

“He stuck it out all the way,” he said. “He was the one constant, even as a young man always helping out with teams. He was and is a huge loss. I know that’s nothing compared to the family. He was a wonderful colleague and this was an easy decision as to who to name the hurling wall here after. It was great to have him.

“It’s a fitting tribute to Michael that so many of his teammates are here. When we went again, he was a thread that ran through the hurling part of the club. He was always there, a quiet understated guy who was there for every significant step St Eunan’s ever took. He was a wonderful player, he won titles and he was through the tough times and the good times.”

St Eunan's hurlers past and present join the McGrath family at O'Donnell Park

Michael’s father Pat McGrath spoke on behalf of the family that includes Michael’s mother Mary, sisters Bernadette and Mary and brother Anthony, wife Susan and son Senán.

“I would like to offer a very sincere thank you to everyone at the St Eunan’s club,” Pat said. “It’s a lovely gesture to bestow this honour upon Michael. We came to Letterkenny originally from Pettigo - where there wasn’t much hurling done - Michael came into St Eunan’s and made so many friends. He loved it here.”

Monsignor Kevin Gillespie was on hand to bless both facilities, with Pat unveiling Michael’s commemorative plaque and Noel’s son Neil doing likewise at the carpark.

“I would also like to share our loss with the McDermott family,” Paddy Flood added. They lost a caring husband and father. We know their loss and we know their pain. Thank you to everyone who came here today. A wonderful character who was a bedrock of the club and when work needed to be done, he was there every time.

John Haran spoke of Noel McDermott - husband of Afric and father to Hannah, Aoibhinn and Neil - whom he had known since his childhood in the Cathedral Town.

“It was a great shock to hear of Noel and I grew up with him in Hawthorn Heights and he was a great friend and a great St Eunan’s man,” John Haran said. “Every time he pulled on the jersey he gave it one hundred percent and he would’ve taken great pride in seeing his brother Brian win championships at St Eunan’s.

“He would meet and marry a lovely woman in Afric from Gweedore and moved there but the one place he never left was St Eunan’s. If there ever was a job that needed to be done for St Eunan’s, Noel was the first man here. I would drive here from Gweedore for every match and everyone who ever came into this carpark got a warm welcome.

“Everything was done right. He had such pride for this club and I saw his son Neil out there playing for Gaoth Dobhair last year with the U-11s and it was great. Long may it continue. As a club, we have to thank Ollie Harvey for all of his work today.”

“Thanks to everyone here and such a lovely gesture from St Eunan’s and a lovely gesture for all of you being here,” Brian McDermott, Noel’s brother, said. “All we can do is stress safety on the roads. Everytime I come in here, I think of my brother - I think about him all the time anyways - but this carpark will certainly now always remind me of Noel.”