It rained a lot around here last weekend. It was as if the sky was weeping with all of us who were mourning the death of Dan Quill. It was with a sense of shock and disbelief that we heard on Friday morning that Dan had passed away suddenly. There was a phrase in Irish history about the Normans when they came to Ireland long ago. In a short time 'twas said that they "became more Irish than the Irish themselves". The same could be said of Dan, born in Macroom and working for years in the Bank in Dublin but when he settled in our parish he soon became a true, loyal and outstanding Bride Rovers man. Dan became involved in our Club the same as if all his seed, breed and generation were here with years. It's very difficult to write these words about Dan because just next week all of us in the Rovers would have been looking forward to getting his Annual Report and Financial Statement at the Club AGM. You'd often hear of someone who served away and beyond the call of duty and Dan Quill was such a man.

Dan was so proud of his Macroom and Muskerry heritage. His home Club has won the Cork Senior Football Championship on ten occasions and contributed so many great players to Cork teams down the decades. Dan loved recalling these great players and their contribution to the GAA. Macroom and district also has a great tradition of angling and fishing and Dan inherited a love of this great sport from his father. As a fisherman Dan took part in competitions from a young age but the sheer love of the peace and tranquillity of the sport was what really appealed to him. He became deeply involved in the administrative side of the sport. After being transferred in his Banking employment to Fermoy Dan got involved with the Fermoy and District Trout Anglers Association. Dan was Chairman in 1995 when the Association celebrated it's 60th Birthday.

It was after Dan and his wife Mary and family settled in Mondaniel that his innate love of the GAA came to the fore once more. When Don, Orla and Gavin donned the Green, White and Gold jersey of the bride Rovers Club Dan became involved with our Juvenile Club. They say wise men talk because they have something to say while fools talk because they have to say something. Dan Quill was certainly in the former category and his advice and counsel was deeply appreciated in our Club. His contribution to the GAA in our parish has been enormous. Firstly with the Juvenile Club and in recent years with the Senior Club he has been a colossus. Over the last twenty years Bride Rovers has seen phenomenal growth both in the number of players and teams and in the development of facilities. All through planning, fundraising, Grant Applications and Bank Loan Applications Dan has been the steady hand at the financial tiller of the Club. His work experience in finance has been invaluable to us in recent years. Financial planning, drawing up repayment schedules and spending projections are all concepts alien to most ordinary GAA Club members but they were bread and butter matters for Dan.

He loved going to Bride Rovers and Cork matches and the Club Junior C team was as important to Dan as the Cork Senior side. In the last few years we have been priviliged to have had many Club players don the Red and White of Cork and there was no prouder Bride Rovers man in Pairc Ui Chaoimh, Thurles the Gaelic Grounds and Croke Park than Dan Quill when our lads played with Cork. I travelled with Dan to a lot of St. Colmans and Cork under 17 and Minor games over the last two years. He was great company on match days. I tend to talk incessantly whereas Dan was more measured in his contributions and I fondly recall some very happy journeys. One occasion when we travelled to Dublin we arrived in the Capital around nine of a Sunday morning. Dan took me on a 'tour' of Clondalkin where he had lived next door to the young Jim Gavin, now the Dublin Football manager. I don't know how we got to Croke Park that day -Dan knew every road and lane and roundabout in Dublin whereas I'd get lost when I'd leave O Connell Street!

Family meant so much to Dan -Mary, his three children and two beloved grandchildren were always foremost in his thoughts and actions. Unfortunately for most of us in the Bride Rovers Club it was the occasion of his death brought us all into contact with the wider Quill and Healy families. His six sisters and their extended clans meant so much to Dan and that love was reciprocated. From last Friday right through until Monday we met so many lovely relations, neighbours, friends and work colleagues of the Quill family from Macroom and the Healy Og's of Clondrohid.  Great people who spoke so highly of Donal -as all Macroom and Muskerry folk called him. Over the weekend many expressed their amazement and gratitude to the members and players of the Bride Rovers GAA Club for our input into the wake and funeral of our friend Dan Quill. It was the very least we could have done for a man who gave himself selflessly to our Club and community during the all too short period he was amongst us. Last weekend we repaid in a very, very small way just some of the debt we owed to Dan Quill. Truly the man from Macroom became a great Bride Rovers man. All we can say is -Dan, farewell and thank you for being our Treasurer and Club Officer but most of all for being a great friend to so many. In conclusion

 I finish with words spoken by our Club Vice Chairman,Gerard Lane, when he delivered a fulsome, moving and fitting tribute to Dan at the Funeral Mass in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Rathcormac on Monday last -

“We know that a man is never dead while his name is still spoken ― and we know the name of Dan Quill will be forever spoken in our club.

We salute an ordinary man who made an extraordinary contribution"