Dungannon GAA stalwart will be ‘sorely missed’

TRIBUTES have been paid to a widely-respected stalwart member of Dungannon’s GAA community who died on Friday.

Damian (Dick) Cahalane, who served two stints as chair of his beloved Dungannon Clarkes club, was laid to rest this afternoon, after Requiem Mass at St Patrick’s Church, Dungannon.

Mr Cahalane, late of Willow Close in the town, was also a committee member at the club throughout his entire adult life.

Current chair, John McNulty, described Mr Cahalane as an “absolute gentleman”, adding, “He was a dedicated member of the club who will be sorely missed.

“One of his proudest achievements in recent years was seeing the Clarkes’ lift the O’Neill Cup in 2020 for the first time since 1956.

“That was the Holy Grail for not only Dick, but all of us in the club.

“It was something we all hoped to see within our lifetime in the club, and I’m grateful that Dick got to witness it.”

Along with the GAA, another passion in life for Mr Cahalane was music. For many years, the talented guitarist and singer played with the band, Solid State.

Throughout the Showband era, he performed in many local venues and at many local carnivals, having shared the stage with such iconic acts of the time such as The Memories, The Freshmen, The Indians and Brian Coll.

He was later part of the band Misty, who toured all over England on many occasions.

It was during these years that he met Gerry Devlin who he would spend 17 years performing alongside in various bands in venues all over the country.

Mr Devlin remembered his friend and colleague as ‘a very talented man’, further stating that, “Dick never played a wrong chord.

“He was a natural musician with a photographic memory, a very popular man and a great entertainer.

“When Misty broke up, he spent some years playing with Dan O’Hara, but it wasn’t long until we reunited and starting performing as a two-piece under the name, Big Dick and Gerry.

“We played numerous residencies over the years… Saturday nights in the Black Horse in Cookstown, Sunday nights in the Glenavon Hotel and Monday nights in the Dunowen in Dungannon.

“I just spoke with him on the phone last Wednesday after I had just come through a recent surgery, and to be honest, he sounded in better health than I did, so the news of his passing truly comes as a shock.

“It was a pleasure to have played with him all those years, he was a very talented man.”

Mr Cahalane is survived by his siblings Brian, Dana, Barry and Dympna, wife Amanda, children Catherine, Paul and Mark, granchildren Isla and Ben and wider family circle.