Raymond Daniels (Gaelic footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Gaelic football | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Born |
1979 Dunlavin County Wicklow, Ireland | ||
| Died |
26 January 2008 (aged 28) Blessington, Ireland | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
2000–2008 |
Wicklow Senior Blessington GAA | ||
Raymond Daniels (22 July 1979 – 26 January 2008) was a Gaelic footballer from County Wicklow. He was goalkeeper for Wicklow's senior football team[1] for several seasons during eight years.
Playing career
[edit]Daniels won a Leinster title with the Wicklow Vocational Schools team. He played under-21 football for Wicklow. He was named player of the year in Dunlavin in 1997 and in Blessington in 2003.[2] He made his senior football championship debut against Carlow in May 2006.[3] A groin injury sustained in a National Football League game against Sligo in April 2007 kept Daniels away from football, but he had planned to resume training.[1][4]
Illness and death
[edit]In October 2007, Daniels was admitted to hospital with an infection that caused one of his kidneys to fail. On Tuesday 22 January 2008, Daniels had gotten the all-clear from doctors. He socialised with friends on the following Saturday. He had a suspected heart attack. He was brought to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He was 28. A minute's silence was observed before Wicklow's GAA games on Sunday 27 January. Former GAA President Jack Boothman, the current President of Blessington GAA, described Daniels as a "gifted footballer and goalkeeper". Former Wicklow manager Hugh Kenny also praised Daniels.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Town's tears for GAA hero and a doting dad, The Independent.
- ^ A tribute to Ray Daniels, Wicklow People.
- ^ "Major alterations for the Garden". RTÉ Sport. 17 May 2006. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
- ^ Popular footballer dies tragically, Letterkenny Post. Archived 18 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Hogan, Louise, 2008-01-28, GAA star dies on night out, Irish Independent.