Our community has lost a pillar in the real sense of the word as we struggle to comprehend the shocking events of Wednesday June 17th when Colm was cut down in the prime of his life, doing the job he loved in the best way he knew how.
courtesy of mayonews.ie
Colm was an absolute gem. He was a son and brother like no other. He had all the values you would associate with a good and decent person. Grace, humility, compassion, dignity, selflessness, poise, courtesy and charm are all qualities we aspire to in life. Colm had these in spades. He was a rock in the Horkan household, the man you could count on in times of crisis or need, the glue that held it all together. Life is all about making decisions and Colm seldom if ever made a bad one. He lived his life by the book which makes it all the more difficult to process the events surrounding his tragic and needless death.
He touched the lives of many in the communities of Charlestown and beyond, with dignity and regalness characterising his every action and deed. He loved his town and this was the place where many great friendships and bonds were moulded with the outpouring of emotion following his passing providing the family with some solace and consolation as we bade farewell to a terrific man in the real sense of the word.
Colm loved his football and served Charlestown Sarsfields with distinction over the course of a long, stellar and star-studded career. He donned the green and white jersey with honour and excellence and took centre stage in many of our finest successes in a career that saw him reach some marvellous heights.
He played with courage, intelligence and intensity and brought tremendous passion to the fields of play with O’Hara Park his domain and the scene of many of his greatest performances as he inspired his team and led from the front at all times. He was a born leader and played with a conviction and belief that typified his persona and character and he never let the jersey down and more often than not came up with the right pass or the crucial score to get the Sarsfields over the line in many of our epic victories.
He also represented Mayo at under-21 level and this was a proud day for his father Marty and late mother Dolores who were such a constant presence in his life, always supporting him on the sideline, providing encouragement for whatever team he was representing on any given day.
Colm was a believer in giving 100% in everything he did on the football field and this was the mantra he brought into work and life on the whole. These were values that he was instilled with and imbued from an early age and Marty and his beloved late mother Dolores and his siblings and friends can be proud of the way he carried himself with decorum, tact and civility underpinning his every action and deed.
Colm commanded respect wherever he went. Time spent in his company was precious and much sought after as there was always a joke or funny story to be had with that charming, beguiling and enchanting smile lighting up a room and brightening up many a dark hour and day.
The journey home from Castlebar after the postmortem tugged on the heart strings as the communities of Bohola Moy Davitts, Swinford, Carracastle, Ballaghaderreen, Tourlestrane, Curry, Mayo County Board and Charlestown and the respective G.A.A. Clubs lined the bypasses, roads and streets to commemorate his memory and pay their respects to a man they had many a joust and tussle with on the fields of play.
The family were proud and humbled at the way his memory was honoured. They and the Sarsfields club would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to all those who took the time out to express their condolences and sympathies to remember the man he was, both as a player and a person. Our emotions are in turmoil as we bade farewell to man who enriched our lives by his mere actions and presence. He was a bulwark and a cornerstone, always a purveyor of good advice and was an absolute treasure when it came to family and how he interacted with each and every one of them.
He had so much to live for and derived such enjoyment out of life that his death feels like such an appalling and illogical event. The grim reality however is that the “Bear” as he was so affectionately called is no more. His quality and sheer class will forever remain intact as his kindness, modesty and heroism will stay etched in our memories and consciousness for many a long day. There must be a place for him at the top table in that great house in the sky and our loss is most definitely heaven’s gain.
One thing for sure he leaves a legacy of wonderful memories that his family and the wider community will cherish and hold dear in our hearts forever as we remember a giant in the true sense of the word. He brought such joy and happiness to us all for 49 fantastic years and shone brightly like a diamond. Rest in peace good buddy. You were a champion!!