THE Fermanagh GAA community is set to unite later this year to celebrate the life of the much-loved United Nations employee Shane O’Brien who lost his life in a tragic road crash in December 2020.
A hugely talented sportsman who played for Fermanagh underage teams and represented Ireland at under-age level in International Rules died tragically in Pretoria in South Africa, aged 35.
Mr O’Brien, from Belleek, was a valued member of the United Nations’ Refugee Agency and he was centrally involved in voluntary work in South Africa at the time of his death.
To mark his fourth anniversary, a celebration is set to be held on December 7, with GAA clubs from across Fermanagh uniting for ‘SOB 7s Showdown’, with money raised going to the Air Ambulance.
“Erne Gaels Belleek and the O’Brien family invite you to bring your family and friends to witness a great day of super 7s GAA action in memory of the late Shane O’Brien,” said a spokesperson.
A number of initiatives have been held to honour the former St Michael’s College student since his death, with his close friend, Ciaran Smith, recently raising funds for he Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust.
Mr Smith, a current selector with Erne Gaels Belleek GAA team, ran 10 lengths of the 23 GAA pitches in the county in December 2022, to celebrate Mr O’Brien’s commitment to the sport.
“He will not be forgotten in any part of the community, and we wanted to show [the late Shane O’Brien’s parents] Siobhan and Tommy that we will always be there for them,” Mr Smith previously said.
“Everybody turned up who was either a friend, someone Shane was at school with, someone who he played with at Fermanagh, a former teacher or parents who would have known Shane indirectly.
“It was a pleasure to see them all,” he told the Herald.
GAA teams from across Fermanagh can enter the ‘SOB 7s Showdown’ on December 7 by contacting Sobsevens@gmail.com by the deadline of November 20.
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