Yesterday’s All Ireland Football Final Replay was once again a great spectacle for all GAA fans across the country as Dublin made history with their magnificent 5 In A Row victory over a gallant Kerry side.

With many GAA fans, both neutral and from the two competing counties clambering for tickets those lucky enough to have got them were treated to another thrilling game in HQ. As with all clubs up and down the length and breadth of Ireland the clubs draw for the tickets allocated to them is always one that many fingers and toes get crossed in the hope of being the lucky winner. However one Wicklow GAA Club, Knockananna decided to rally round one of their own at a very sad time in their lives and made one of the finest gestures that any club could possibly do as they gifted the All Ireland Tickets allocated to them to long serving club member John Roche and his young family who sadly lost their beloved wife and mother in recent days. Club member Andrew Byrne explained the thought behind such a lovely gesture:

We as a club thought it would be a nice gesture to give our 2 All Ireland tickets to John Roche as he could bring one of the kids with him, but then realised we were 3 tickets short and needed 5 tickets in the one area as John has 4 kids so we contacted the county board who every generously handed over their own tickets so they could have all of them in the same seating, so hats off to the county board.

Nobody can imagine the grief this family has been through and with such a heartfelt and hugely generous gesture it’s clear that the people in Knockananna GAA are always there to rally around their own when times are at their toughest and to Wicklow GAA and the people who stepped up so kindly we can only salute you for such a great an honorable deed. Both Knockananna GAA and the Wicklow County Board deserve huge commendation and the utmost respect for giving the Roche family some solace in a time of great mourning and not only that but the knowledge that the local and wider GAA community in this county are always there to support and assist any of our members in the toughest of times. We would like to say how proud we are of both Knockananna GAA and the Wicklow County Board for showing such compassion and support and it makes you proud to be involved in GAA circles when the GAA rallies around its own.