Death of respected Tullamore historian and author (Ireland)
THE death took place on Friday last at his home at 10 Clonminch Avenue, Tullamore, of Mr John Clarke, a noted authority on Gaelic games. Aged 82, the deceased was originally from Convent View.
He had a lifelong interest in Gaelic games, but as he was diagnosed with curvature of the spine in his teens, he could not play. That did not, however, prevent his building up a fund of knowledge of sport, as he began keeping a scrapbook of GAA matters in 1939.
Mr Clarke had a shop in Harbour Street (now O’Donovan’s pharmacy) which was very popular and long remembered by many. He later went to work in Salts Ireland as an overseer.
The deceased wrote and contributed to many publications. He was involved in the Midland Entertainment Guide in the 1940’s writing on GAA, movies and social life in midlands. He was GAA Correspondent of the Midland Tribune and then the Tullamore Tribune for many years.
Mr Clarke researched for his daughter Vivienne the Tullamore GAA history serialised in the Offaly Express in the mid 1980’s and then the history of the Offaly GAA which he continued to write after Vivienne left to go to work in Dublin (she later returned to the Express staff and is now a features writer with the paper).
He also contributed to many publications over the years such as Raymond Smith’s Handbook of Gaelic Games. He wrote his own book, a history of Tullamore GAA Club – The Glorious One Hundred...
Read entire article at Offaly Express
He had a lifelong interest in Gaelic games, but as he was diagnosed with curvature of the spine in his teens, he could not play. That did not, however, prevent his building up a fund of knowledge of sport, as he began keeping a scrapbook of GAA matters in 1939.
Mr Clarke had a shop in Harbour Street (now O’Donovan’s pharmacy) which was very popular and long remembered by many. He later went to work in Salts Ireland as an overseer.
The deceased wrote and contributed to many publications. He was involved in the Midland Entertainment Guide in the 1940’s writing on GAA, movies and social life in midlands. He was GAA Correspondent of the Midland Tribune and then the Tullamore Tribune for many years.
Mr Clarke researched for his daughter Vivienne the Tullamore GAA history serialised in the Offaly Express in the mid 1980’s and then the history of the Offaly GAA which he continued to write after Vivienne left to go to work in Dublin (she later returned to the Express staff and is now a features writer with the paper).
He also contributed to many publications over the years such as Raymond Smith’s Handbook of Gaelic Games. He wrote his own book, a history of Tullamore GAA Club – The Glorious One Hundred...