THE death has taken place of Pat McNamara, a renowned retired teacher who had a profound impact on the lives of so many in his adopted home of Banagher and the wider surrounding area.

A proud native of Gurtymadden, Mullagh in East Galway, Pat McNamara came to Banagher in 1968, teaching English in the local Vocational School – he was a former student at a famous nursery, Garbally College which attracted in students from that wider south Offaly area.

His impact on the educational development of students was tremendous. He was a highly regarded English teacher, able to impart his passion for the subject to students while he was an unsung hero of Offaly hurling thanks to his coaching exploits with Banagher Vocational School.

He set up his family home in one of the most famous hurling streets in Offaly, Cuba Avenue – having started his hurling career with Mullagh, he threw in his lot with St Rynagh’s soon after coming to the town. As understudy to one of the greats of Offaly hurling, All-Star goalkeeper Damien Martin who was between the posts as Offaly won their first Leinster and All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship title in 1980 and 1981, his appearances in big championship games were restricted but he was a reliable, dependable goalkeeper.

He was sub goalkeeper on the St Rynagh’s team that won their second Leinster club Senior Hurling Championship in 1973 and won Offaly senior hurling medals with St Rynagh’s in 1972 and 1973. St Rynagh’s reached their second All-Ireland club final in 1973 – having lost to Roscrea in the first one in 1971, they were beaten by the Christy Ring coached Glen Rovers of Cork in ’73, 2-18 to 2-8.

Offaly hurling’s real debt to him, however, was for his coaching expertise and his role in the development of some of Offaly’s greatest hurlers. He was selector on St Rynagh’s senior hurling teams for several years and also served as club chairman. He had an infectious enthusiasm for hurling and his knowledge of the game and players was second to none.

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Alongside future St Rynagh’s Hurling Club chairman and later principal of Banagher College – the two secondary schools in Banagher, the Vocational School and La Sante Union agreed to amalgamate in 2001 and moved into their state of the art new school in 2010 -, Paddy Scales and others, they guided Banagher Vocational School to tremendous hurling success in the 1990s.

Pat McNamara had a great way with young students, able to get the best out of them and Banagher VS won Leinster Vocational Schools Senior Hurling Championship titles in 1979 and 1980 and were beaten in the All-Ireland finals. They won three All-Ireland VS senior hurling titles in 1985, 1986 and 1989 while they were beaten in the 1990 final.

Their run co-incided with the great success of St Brendan’s Community School in Birr – they won the All-Ireland colleges senior hurling title in 1986 and several of the Offaly teams that won the 1994 and 1998 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship in 1994 and 1998 came from the Birr and Banagher schools. It was easily the best and most successful era for Offaly underage hurling, the supply line for Offaly minor and underage hurling teams was at its most productive and Pat McNamara had a pivotal influence on all this in Banagher.

Those successful Banagher teams included a number of players who won All-Ireland minor hurling medals with Offaly in 1986, 1987 and 1989 and their influence was comparable to the Birr one. John Troy was their goalkeeper in 1986 and out the field in 1989. Banagher VS beat Roscrea VS by 1-12 to 2-6 in the final with Troy scoring four points while the full back was 1998 All-Ireland hurling winning captain, Hubert Rigney.

It should also be noted that all of these Banagher sides had players from across the county border in Galway and they were very important pieces of the jigsaw. Banagher VS had won their first All-Ireland title in 1984 when they captured junior honours in 1984, edging out Borriskane in a tension filled final. They had won the Leinster VS junior hurling title in 1983 but lost to eventual champions, Borriskane by a point in the All-Ireland semi-final. That 1984 win was a huge win for the school and was the catalyst for everything else that followed.

The successful teams drew in players from St Rynagh’s, Lusmagh and Drumcullen in Offaly and Meelick-Eyrecourt and Kiltormer in Galway. Lusmagh’s Ronnie Byrne, an All-Ireland minor hurling medal winner with Offaly in 1986, was the captain in 1984; Ken Lucas, an All-Ireland minor medal with Galway in 1983, captained them in 1985; Roy Mannion, St Rynagh’s and full back with Offaly in ’86, was the Banagher captain that year.

The new Banagher College won another All-Ireland VS senior hurling title in 2010, beating Causeway Comprehensive in the final – vocational schools’ competitions were disbanded some time after that with all schools playing under the colleges umbrella.

Pat McNamara’s commitment and competitive nature were inspirational to his students as he helped instil a winning mentality into them. When Kiltormer defeated Birr in the 1992 All-Ireland club senior hurling final, approximately one third of their team had benefitted from Pat’s hurling guidance in Banagher VS.

He also coached camogie teams in Banagher VS and was a keen advocate of athletics.

At the height of the troubles in Northern Ireland in the 1970s and 1980s, he made a point of bringing up students and school teams up to the six counties to support the efforts of GAA people in the very trying circumstances that prevailed up there in that traumatic era.

His son Ronan was a promising forward on the Offaly team that won the All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship in 1989. He scored a point in the All-Ireland final win over Clare, having got in for goals in the earlier wins over Kilkenny and Down. The All-Ireland final win over Clare was particularly emotive for Pat as it was the first hurling game his wife, Lee, a Chinese Malaysian, attended.

Ronan later moved to Northern Ireland to work and set up a tourist business in Derry. Ronan’s daughter Hannah Lee McNamara, a member of the famed Royal Portrush club, has emerged as one of the best emerging amateur golfers in the country.

Hannah Lee has competed internationally for Ireland, playing on some teams alongside another exciting prospect, Rahan youth Ella Cantwell, and winning a host of titles on the Irish amateur circuit and abroad. In 2025, Hannah Lee was ranked number 1 in Ireland across all age groups in the girls golf European rankings and as you would expect, scholarship offers from US colleges have been in plentiful supply and she has chosen the Sun Devils at Arizona State University in Phoenix and will be going there on a four year scholarship in 2027 – she is named Lee for her grandmother of the same name.

Pat was fiercely proud of Hannah Lee’s achievements. A keen golfer himself and an activist with Birr Golf Club, he had an active Facebook account and regularly posted updates of her achievements, along with other items.

He had battled health problems for some time but celebrated his 80th birthday in December. His gentle wit and endearing personality is reflected in his thanks to the many people who congratulated him on Facebook as he gave a box of chocolates to the 80th person to wish him happy birthday.

Well liked and popular, he left a lasting impression on the many who knew him and a real legacy to Banagher and surround areas.

He did a great service to hurling in Offaly, Banagher and surrounding areas and the respect in which he was held was reflected by the turnout at his removal and funeral – past pupils were among the grave diggers, coffin carriers, choir singers as they remembered him fondly.

Predeceased by his beloved parents, Tom and Maisie. Pat will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by his devoted wife, Lee, and his children Ciara, Ronan, Colum and Áine; his sisters Marie, Terry, Marcella and Colette, and his brother Barry; his adored grandchildren Connor, Cillian, Erin, Joe, Samuel, Hannah, Seán, Cian, Oisín and Fiadh; Aunt Nancy, the Lee Family, daughter-in-law, sons-in-law, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, grand nieces, grand nephews and great grand nieces, relatives, neighbours, carers and his many friends who shared in his life.

He was buried in St Rynagh’s Cemetery, Banagher on Friday following requiem Mass in St Rynagh’s Church.