Remembering Paddy Lafferty, the Inishowen king of pool

On the Sunday evening before Christmas, the curtain came down on yet another successful Paddy Lafferty memorial pool tournament.
The annual event, which alternates between the Orchard and Carrick bars in Gleneely, was first held in 2013, a tribute to the much-loved Moneydarragh man who died in 2011.

Paddy's lifelong friend Charlie Duffy has helped organise the competition for the last seven years.
He told Donegal Live: "Me, Paddy and Joe McCauley were all in the pool team that started up in Gleneely in the 1970s.
"A year or so after Paddy died, Joe rang me and said it would be a nice idea to do something in his memory, and that's how the tournament got started."

When it came to the most fitting way to remember their friend, says Charlie, it was always going to be something to do with pool, the game that was Paddy's great love.
He said: "In the mid 70s, the Orchard bar got in a pool table, and we all began messing about.
“Eventually we formed a team, and we had our fair share of success in the Inishowen League. Pool became a bit of a craze with us.

"Paddy was as crafty as you can get. Safety was his strong point, and he could have a player tied up in knots.
"He had great banter, and if he thought he could get a rise out of his opponent to put him off his game, he'd do it.
"But he was a real gentleman and was always very sporting. He'd make a wee joke if he lost and say 'I wouldn't have wanted to beat you' or something like that.
"We would all have been very competitive, but the social aspect of it was the most important thing. We had some craic over the years, and Paddy was always at the heart of it."

The tournament has raised a lot of money for good causes as well. Paddy had amyloidosis, cancer and also suffered a stroke during a prolonged period of ill health, and the places where he was treated, such as the Royal Free, Letterkenny and Carn hospitals, along with the Donegal Hospice, have all benefited from the proceeds of the tournament down the years.
This year the money will to the Irish Motor Neurone Association, as a woman in the community has been diagnosed with the disease.

Paddy's wife Mary Rose plays a pivotal role in the competition.
She said: "I give a speech after the final has been played each year. It's always very emotional, but at the same time I feel so proud that Paddy's friends thought so much of him to do this.
"He loved the pool, and me and Charlie's wife, Eileen, would have gone down to the Orchard to watch them play. I learned from watching them, and began playing a bit myself.
"I remember the time I beat Charlie's brother, John Eddie, and there was a whole song and dance about that - Paddy was pleased as punch!"

Pool was such a big part of Paddy's life, and his son Mark and daughters Grace, Anita and Linda all have trophies, won by their dad and given to them by him in the year they were born, as keepsakes.
The finals night is something the whole family attends. "There's always so much chat about it every year and a lot of excitement about who will win," said Anita.
"It's emotional for us as a family, but as time has gone on there's less sadness there, and we're just so happy to be able to remember him in such a nice way."

Charlie and his daughter Catriona, along with Joe, are the driving force behind the tournament.
Said Mary Rose: "They deserve so much credit for the work they put in organising the competition every year," she said. "It runs like clockwork and that is down to them.
"I would love to see Joe or Charlie win it one year because they were such great friends of Paddy and nothing would please me more."

Mary Rose almost got her wish this Christmas when, for the first time ever, Charlie made it all the way to the final.
But he was up against 'king of Carrick's' Damien McFeely, who has won the competition every year it's been played there, and the Culdaff man justified favouritism by winning 3-1 to lift the trophy for a fourth time.
But modest Charlie isn't one bit annoyed. He said: "I haven't a great record in it, and until this year the furthest I got was the quarter finals, so I was very happy.
"But who knows, maybe one year I'll get my hands on the trophy. If we're living next year we'll hope to do it again.
"It keeps Paddy's memory going - and for me that's the most important thing of all."