Boherlahan-Dualla pays tribute to 1956 county-winning hurler George Dargan
The death occurred suddenly at his home in Rathclough, Dualla village of George Dargan on Tuesday October 14th. He was son of Thomas and Catherine Dargan (nee McLoughlin) a native of Kilcommon. Born in July 1941 he had reached the age of 84 and was predeceased by his brothers Paddy and Tommy and sister Anne. In Dualla the Dargan family first lived in the Kill Hills area before moving to Meldrum and finally to Rathclough on the Cashel road.
Throughout his life George was a follower of Boherlahan and Tipperary GAA. In 1956 he was on the winning team when the Boherlahan-Dualla juvenile hurling team were County champions. A picture of that team has pride of place in his home. In that same year he was on the team when Boherlahan won the Mid Tipp rural schools hurling competition. The Mid board presented the Brother Doody Cup to the winners and Boherlahan became the first team to inscribe their name on the cup. He was also on the team in 1956 when Boherlahan won the Mid rural schools football championship.
After leaving school George got a job as an apprentice mechanic with Paddy O’Carroll, Cashel which gave him valuable experience in the car maintenance business. Before leaving for England in 1959 he had acquired mechanical intuition far greater than his years. Like many young people growing up in Ireland during hard economic times George left his native parish to seek a better life abroad.
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On arrival in London he had support of family members and friends. He lived for about 15 years in the Woodgreen area and enjoyed the social life in the Irish community there. He was attached to the St. Finbar’s GAA club in Essex. Leaving London he was involved in various work projects throughout England which brought him to Manchester, Nottingham, Derby, Tottenham, Stanford in Lincolnshire, Essex and Sussex. He spent 2 years in the Hebrides of the west coast of Scotland where he operated a large digger. The work there related to the North Sea gas fields. He was also involved in major road work projects in Oxford and Birmingham. When work was slack in the construction sector he worked for a while as a painter and decorator for the local council. In the car maintenance industry he upgraded his mechanical skills by attending a course in auto-electrics at London Polytechnics. This enabled him to drive and maintain any type of machine on the construction sites.
In 1990 he returned to Ireland where he lived in Littleton for a while before settling down with his wife Noreen in Rathclough, Dualla village. There he continued his work in car maintenance at his home for the remainder of his life. In spite of a leg amputation as result of an accident and enduring ill health and pains in recent times he continued with determination at his work.
He loved dogs and in the evening he enjoyed watching TV to catch up with the latest news and sport with his beloved dog “Millie”
On Monday October 20th his remains were reposing at Devitts Funeral Home Cashel and on the following day removed to the Church of Our Lady of Fatima Dualla for requiem Mass celebrated by Fr Michael Mullaney P.P and assisted by Fr Tomás Walsh S.M.A Gurnabraher Parish Cork (Cousin) followed by burial in the adjoining cemetery. He is survived by his wife Noreen (nee Stapleton) and by his daughters Tina, Monica, Liz, Angela and Michelle and sons George and Paul. Also by his sister Joan, grandchildren, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, extended family, relatives, neighbours and friends to whom sincere sympathy is extended.
