Sometimes in life you are fortunate to meet someone who leaves a lasting and impressionable mark on your life. For me and for so many others Seamus O’Byrne was such a man.
I first met him around season 1981/82 when I joined the club by brining my 8 year old son, Andrew, up to join the Mini Rugby section. I got involved in coaching that section and shortly after met Seamus at many of the club meetings where we were raising funds to purchase the grounds that we own to this day.
Seamus was the organiser in chief of a great band of fund raising volunteers. Seamus was responsible for the many varied and unique methods of achieving the targets set. He had a gift of getting members to part with their cash, and I remember we raised a considerable amount by so many agreeing to donate £500 to the club. No first prize, no second or third prize for your donation, just a nice certificate signed by Seamus and Eddie Fitzgerald, the club Chairman, appreciating and recognising your contribution and that would have been around 1985/86.
While I was very involved in the Mini Section at this time and eventually moved to the Youth Section, Seamus was always keen to promote the value of developing both of these areas of club rugby. He could see that the only way the club might progress was through the Youth teams success.
At this time Seamus, along with Paul Kelly and Eddie Fitzgerald, were the three Trustees of Barnhall RFC.
During the period from the mid-1980’s to the mid-1990’s the club bought the land and built a fantastic clubhouse- and Seamus, day and night was overseeing every aspect of its development. It was a good time and we had plans. Seamus was President of the club for seven consecutive seasons 1986/87 to 1993/94, the longest period of any other President.
Fast forward to 1994/95 when unsurmountable financial problems beckoned and we did not have enough money to pay our creditors, particularly the AIB, who was the main creditor. Many of our older members will remember that interest rates were 16%/17% at that time. The Kildare Sheriff with two of his articulated trucks came into the club one Thursday morning and took or repossessed anything that was not nailed down. It we a frightening sight and things did not look good for the future of the club.
UP stepped Seamus O’Byrne, with his positive and can do attitude and put in place a series of programmes to raise cash. We ran a £200 Redeemable Bond scheme, we ran a Life Membership programme amongst other schemes, but our big problem was the massive loan from AIB, we just could not get any other financial institute to take over the debt.
While we were able to pay off the Kildare County Council rates owed, various leasing companies that we had entered into for furniture, fixtures and fittings, the big one was still unpaid and we could not see any way out.
I became a Trustee in 21993/94, after Jim Clancy retired from that position. Each month the three Trustees and our Honorary Treasurer at that time, John Joly used to meet with some Executives of the AIB in the Bank Centre in Ballsbridge. The meetings usually took place in the Boardroom and although the meetings were very serious, Seamus would always advise us to enjoy the large plate of chocolate biscuits and the excellent tea and coffee from the finest china cups, that was always laid on for us.
These meetings went on for several months and when at one stage we offered the keys of the club to AIB they would not go down that road. Seamus recognised the opportunity the Bank were considering. A deal was discussed which wrote off most, if not all, of the interest and left us with the capital which was less than 50% of the original total. WE had to raise over £90,000 to clear the debt.
Seamus got to work and through his contacts and ability to make a good case, and eventually after much negotiating the Anglo Irish Bank came out to the club to meet the Executive and agreed the loan of £100,000 to be paid over 7 years – and we did!
Seamus organised all the legal documentation between Anglo and the Club, and Seamus, Paul and I, as Trustees were called into a solicitors office near St Patrick Cathedral to sign the agreements and commitments.
Shortly after, I remember the day very well when Seamus phoned me at the company I was working for, Rank Xerox, and we were situated at that time next door to the Anglo Irish Bank to say he had got confirmation and agreement on all issues and that we, the three Trustees, should celebrate. We met in the bar in the Shelbourne Hotel and Seamus had purchased a disposable camera to record the event. We drank champagne and took photos but I don’t know if they were ever developed or not, and if they were, are they lying in some old album somewhere.
I always thought Seamus would be around forever, he was one of the great leading stalwarts of our club. He was there at the birth of the club and helped nurse it through the different stages of Barnhall growing up, to become what it is today, a vibrant, friendly, responsible and busy establishment. We owe him so much.
We will not forget him, we think of his family at this time and offer our deepest sympathies, we are thankful for the enormous amount of work and effort he put into what is now MU Barnhall RFC.
REST IN PEACE SEAMUS
Paul Deering
