O’DONOVAN ROSSA GAC in west Belfast are in mourning following the passing of their esteemed member Sean ‘Gun’ Carabine.
A native of the Donegal Road, Sean came from a family steeped in the Rossa tradition and fulfilled every role within the ‘Premier Club’ throughout his life. Sean’s first contact with the club came as a youngster in the 1950s - a time when Rossa teams were regular winners of county championships in both codes. He regularly went to watch Rossa teams train in the Falls Park and soon took on the role as ‘skip boy’, helping look after the team kit and getting to travel to games with the teams.
It was a natural progression to then start wearing the kit in the late ’50s. Sean won a minor hurling championship as the senior team was completing an historic four in-a-row of hurling titles. Sean would get later his hands on the Volunteer Cup himself as a player.
After the disappointment of the 1968 final when, despite putting in a huge performance at wing-back, he and his team-mates were to taste defeat to Loughgiel, who won their third straight title, they were back in 1972, this time winning the county championship against old rivals St John’s.
The following year, Sean was part of the Rossa team that won the county football title, with St John’s again the defeated opponents. Another county hurling medal would come in 1976, at the expense of Dunloy. Rossa were to hang onto the title the following year, but this time Sean was patrolling the sidelines as a selector, a role he would fulfil for many years to come. As a player, Sean was renowned as a tough-as-they-come wing-back and represented Antrim, winning an All-Ireland Junior ‘Home’ Championship.
In an article written in 2007 by the late Paddy McGinley charting the woes of being an Antrim supporter, McGinley - a cousin of Sean - recalled one particularly galling afternoon for the Saffrons in Croke Park against Limerick in the 1994 All-Ireland semi-final and thought of the impact Sean would have made if on the field.
He wrote: “Frankie Carroll of Limerick was able to showboat against us in the second-half of the All-Ireland semi. Limerick murdered us and we showed no fight at all. Well, at least Gary O’Kane prevented a massacre when they moved him back into defence in the second-half.
"But there was Carroll teasing us, showing the ball on his stick. At that stage, I was thinking of some of the ‘characters’ who had hurled for us and by character I mean hard nuts. I would have given anything to see my aged cousin, one ‘Gun’ Carabine emerging as a sub. Now ‘Gun’ was no Tommy Walsh, but at least he would have put an abrupt stop to Carroll’s antics.”
‘Gun’ was known as something of an enforcer on the field, but was to play as big a part off it. Sean served as a committee member for nearly 30 years, helping out with the administration of the club and was the club’s trustee until his passing.
Sean originally worked in the shipyard, but later moved to the old Bass Brewery. His brother Paddy and Alex Quinn were the men who helped secure the loan that built the old Rossa House on the Falls Road in 1972.
Along with many others, Sean gave his time to help renovate the old building into a social hub for many years to come. Sean was a pioneer, but was a regular in the social club as well as Rossa Park at games. He was also the go-to man when a player needed hurleys repaired, a first within Rossa and another nod to the years of incredible service devoted to his beloved club.
His passing will be deeply felt within the Rossa family and wider GAA community, with Rossa chairman Donal McKinney paying tribute to a legendary figure. He said: “Sean was a Rossa player, administrator and trustee. He was a gentleman whose bark was worse than his bite. A Rossa man through and through who went to matches morning, noon and night, recently to watch his grandchildren. It is a very sad loss for us all.”
Sean is survived by his widow Maura and children Roisin, Malachy and Mary. His remains will leave his home at 65 Stewartstown Park at 9.30am on Thursday for 10am Requiem Mass at St Oliver Plunkett Church.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.
DM
