BALLINDERRY GAC has thanked the wider GAA community for the support it has shown the club and Aaron Devlin's family during the player's sickness and following his death last week.
The 23-year-old died after contracting an aggressive strain of meningitis and his club said they had lost "the brightest of shining lights".
Ballinderry Shamrocks GAC chairman Stephen McGeehan said the support Aaron's club mates had received had carried them through "this awful time".
Mr McGeehan said the response from the GAA 'family' had shown the organisation at its best with teams travelling to Ballinderry to pay their respects.
“The hundreds of messages of support, tens of thousands of social media posts and the vast numbers of visitors to Ballinderry to visit the Devlin home spoke volumes about Aaron and his character but also about the generous and caring people at so many levels who populate the GAA in our clubs, county committees, provincially and nationally.
“The site of visiting club teams from Derry, Ulster and well beyond arriving in our tiny parish in their full club regalia, travelling together as a team to pay their individual and collective respects to Aaron’s skills and personality was a statement of respect and humility that no words from us could ever do justice to.
“During our heartbreak these visitors, our rivals past and present, carried us on their shoulders and ensures that as a tribute to Aaron we recognise them all as friends. The images from our national stadium in Croke Park at the All-Ireland Football quarter finals on Saturday and Sunday honouring Aaron’s contribution to CLG and the impromptu ‘applause’ that echoed around the stadium invoked a deep sense of pride in all of us despite our despair."
Mr McGeehan said the GAA had been "maligned at times" in recent years but had shown its value at a time of tragedy.
“On occasions even our most ardent supporters might admit perhaps deservingly so. What the people of Ballinderry, Lough Neagh and Ireland witnessed this week past was the GAA at its very best. United in grief, together we all demonstrated what is so special about our organisation, our members and our communities."
The club chairman said Ballinderry Shamrocks had lost "the brightest of shining lights as a footballer and a young man".
"We know that all of the kindness, prayers and support offered to the Devlin family have been of immense support and comfort to them in these dark days and they are extremely grateful to everyone for that.
“For Eugene, Carmel, Ronan, Coilin, Anna, sister-in-law Pamela and nephews Jude and Matthew, Ballinderry Shamrock’s will be there to continue to support them in their grief.
"To conclude, as described courageously and eloquently by Ronan at the end of Sunday’s funeral Mass Aaron was ‘more than just my wee brother, he’s my friend, he’s my hero’. So say all of us.
"May the soft green sod of our beloved Ballinderry rest gently on his soul.”
