Death of Gort hurler in London

GAA communities on both sides of the Irish Sea are attempting to come to terms with the tragic death of a young man after a hurling training session on Tuesday evening.
Cathal Forde, 28, from Castletown, Gort, collapsed at the end of a Kilburn Gaels hurling session in Highgate. He was rushed by ambulance to Whittington Hospital, Archway, London, where he was pronounced dead.
In Gort on Wednesday the news of his passing was only beginning to sink in.
“The club is just stunned at the moment,” said Martin Kearns, Gort GAA Club chairman.
“Cathal was involved in the county final in 2008, which we lost, against Portumna. He emigrated just short of three years ago because of the recession. He headed for London to get work and he is out there since. I got the call from London at 7am. The club is in a state of shock. What can you say in this situation? Obviously on behalf of the club we pass on our sincere sympathy to Cathal’s family, his father John and mother Eileen, brothers Sean, Liam and Niall.”
“As a sporting family you wouldn’t get better in the country. They are great people. They were dedicated to the club in Gort. Sean won a county medal with the club last November. He was out training on Tuesday evening too and must have been no length gone home when he got the news. It is just awful,” Martin continued.
“On a personal level, Cathal was a gentleman, out and out. He was a lovely man. I had been speaking to him two weeks ago for his granny’s month’s mind mass. They held that on the weekend of her 100th birthday. He was out watching us during a league game but that was not unusual. Anytime he or Niall ever came home, they came out and watched us or played hurling with us on the pitch. It is so sad,” he said.
“Even during the club’s Christmas celebrations, when we were fundraising for the semi-final, they were home and celebrating with us. I remember dropping Cathal home on New Year’s. I can’t put it into words what a loss he is to the town of Gort and our hurling club,” Martin concluded.
Cathal was corner-back on the Kilburn Gaels team that won the club’s first county title in 2010 and according to his London club “was very popular and well liked with everyone in the club”.
Cathal travelled to London just under three years ago with his brother Niall, who was also at training on Tuesday, and both were regular fixtures in the senior side since. Niall was the captain of the London team that won the Nicky Rackard Cup last year.
Cathal is a former student of GMIT and Edinburgh Napier University and was working as a site engineer in London.
“Everyone at the club is deeply saddened and shocked by what has happened and our thoughts at this time are with his girlfriend Sheila and the Forde family. Ar dheis de go raibh a anam dilis,” a spokesperson for Kilburn Gaels said.
The London County Board also offered its sympathies to the Forde family.
According to Tommy Harrell, who recently completed a five-year stint as county board chairman, the loss of Cathal is acutely felt in the tight-knit hurling community there.
“This is a very tragic event for a good family. It has had a devastating effect on the hurling community in London,” he told The Clare Champion.
Cathal is first cousin of Clare inter-county hurler David Forde and Galway inter-county footballer Cathal Forde. He is survived by his father John, mother Eileen, brothers Sean, Liam and Niall.