He was Jemmy to most of us and he won All-Ireland honours

Jimmy Sheelan, whose death took place last week, wore his Louth county colours right to the very end. He had a red-and-white coffin which was emblazoned with a St Brigid’s Cross for his Requiem Mass and burial. This was in accordance with his wishes.

He was christened James, was known as Jimmy to his family, but to those he played with and against in club and county football, and who came under his watchful eye in his time as a referee, he was Jemmy.

And what a great character he was, a loyal supporter of St Patrick’s and Louth teams and always good for a chat. Séamus O’Hanlon spoke last week of the time he visited Jemmy at his Mountbagnall home. His plan was to stay for no more than about a half hour, but six hours later they were still talking.

Jemmy had a great career in football with St Pat’s and the Louth junior and senior teams. He was rare among Louth footballers in that he won an All-Ireland medal.

The year after he played a key role in Pat’s winning their first-ever championship – the Junior, in 1960 – he figured on the Louth junior side in their All-Ireland win.

This was at a time when winning this title wasn’t easily achieved. To get to the Leinster final, Louth had to beat Meath, Longford and Offaly. Dublin provided the opposition in the last round, and here Jemmy got among the scorers along with one of his four St Pat’s colleagues on the side, Henry Donnelly, in 2-4 to 0-8 victory.

The semi-final was against Kerry at Drogheda, and a Louth team, growing in confidence, won by 2-7 to 0-8. The ‘Home Final’ came after that with Galway the opponents at Croke Park.

This was another close affair which ended in a 0-11 to 1-7 win for the Reds. Included on the Galway team were a number of players who would later star on the great All-Ireland senior 3-in-row side of the mid-1960s.

The All-Ireland final proper – as it was known – was against the British champions, Yorkshire, the game taking place in Leeds. Jemmy got the vital goal in a 1-13 to 1-10 win.

The Louth team was captained by Jemmy’s cousin, Gussie Sheelan, and other St Pat’s players on the first 15 were Jimmy Clifford, Paddy Jordan and Henry Donnelly.

Jemmy graduated to the senior side a few years later, and was on the side that brought the O’Byrne Cup to the county for the first time, in 1963. Among his colleagues in the defeat of Longford were four players who’d won All-Ireland senior medals six years earlier, Kevin Beahan, Frank Lynch, Alfie Monks and Jim Judge.

When his playing days were over, Jemmy took up refereeing. He was also a selector for a time with his club, and when Pat’s were a dominant force in senior football in the first two decades of this century, there was no-one who more enjoyed the successes.

Until it was disbanded, the Louth Supporters’ Club provided much-needed financial assistance to the County Board as well as honouring the county’s best in the various grades at its annual awards ceremony.

Jemmy played a prominent role.

Gaels from throughout the county, footballers, supporters and officials were present at St Mary’s, Lordship, and the nearby cemetery on Saturday.

Many spoke in appreciation of the manner in which Jemmy was surrounded on his final journey.