FERMANAGH AND WESTERN HALL OF FAME AND MERIT AWARDS
BY TOMMY NETHERY
THE wife of the late Michael Kerr paid a glowing tribute to the former player and manager of Enniskillen Rangers who was posthumously inducted into the Fermanagh and Western Hall of Fame at the Killyhevlin Hotel on Friday evening.
Mr Kerr, who among his many achievements guided Enniskillen Rangers to four Junior Cup triumphs, including a famed three in a row, three Mercer Leagues, five Kennedy Cups and an all-Ireland Presidents’ Cup, died suddenly in June of last year.
On the eve of what would have been his 41st birthday, Donna Kerr, said her late husband had left a lasting legacy.
“Michael’s legacy as a player and manager isn’t found only in the cups or medals he and the team won,” she said.
“It’s the moments after the final whistle, when the girls would run onto the pitch to celebrate with him after a win, or just as proudly to comfort their daddy after a loss. Those were the moments that meant the most to Michael.
“They represented everything he believed football should be about, family, loyalty, respect, and togetherness.
“What made Michael such a good manager? The same qualities that made him a wonderful husband, father, son, brother, uncle, colleague and friend.
“He was loyal. He was positive. He was always happy and that happiness was infectious. You never just heard from Michael once in a day. It could be three or four times, or even more. He was always there. You could always get him… well, maybe apart from the day or two after a cup win.
“I sometimes found him a little harder to reach then, but I’m fairly sure that was tactical too, because he knew if I got him, he’d have to come home.
“We are so proud of him, not just for what he achieved, but for the man he was and the values he stood for.
“Thank you for honouring Michael in this way. It means more to us than words can truly express.”
Special recognition
It was announced on the night that a new award – The Michael Kerr Memorial Cup – will be presented to the leading scorer in the Mercer League for the first time at this season’s end of season awards in May.
In his keynote address, chairman of the Fermanagh and Western League, Neil Jardine referred to the late Mr Kerr as “the man, the myth and the legend” and recalled how his tragic death has brought local football together like never before.
“We are all here tonight primarily through our shared love of football and the major and sometimes all-consuming part it plays in our life, we are prone to fall in and out depending on which way the wind blows but we should all remember that it is still only a game,” he said.
“The outworkings of this were there for all to see when Enniskillen fell silent for Michael’s funeral, as many have remarked the closest thing our town has seen to a state funeral.
“The unified and dignified respect shown by every football club in the area and echoed by other sports was a standout memory of the day but no less than Michael Kerr, the man, the legend but definitely not a myth deserved.”
The chairman also read out contributions from Michael’s good friends Leon Carters, Shane McCabe and James McKenna.
Two Merit awards were also presented on the night, the first to Cyril Walker, who has refereed at all levels of the game for 40 years, and George Beacom in recognition of his huge contribution in running the Bawnacre Centre, providing service to local football including the collating of weekend results and the community of Irvinestown and beyond.
