'A unique community spirit among Shannonsiders:' Limerick woman (90) remembered for lifelong service

THE village of Adare and the Limerick community in Dublin is mourning the passing of Maureen Walsh née Quaid, who has passed away, just days before her 91st birthday and "gave decades of service to Limerick in Dublin." Described as "a real force of nature, Maureen was at the heart of social and sporting events in the capital for almost 70 years.

Maureen, an Adare native and moved to Dublin in the 1950s and worked in a number of locations, including Boylan’s Leather Store in Camden Street and for a longer period with the O’Neills Sports Company on the Long Mile Road. 

Club Limerick Dublin Chair Paul Stapleton paid tribute to the late Limerick woman, saying: “Maureen gave decades of service to Limerick in Dublin and helped create a unique community spirit among Shannonsiders that remains intact to the present day.”

Her connections with the Limerick Men’s Association began in the 1960's, and she soon made her mark, being instrumental in getting the 'Men's' descriptor removed from the title – a first for these types of organisations.  She served as its Secretary from 1969 to 1972 and again from 1973 to 1975. She became the first female Chair of the Limerick Association in 1975 and remained in the role until 1978.

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A colleague of Maureen's from that period, Michael Fitzgerald from Athea, remembered her, saying that "she was an amazing person with a great respect for people.

She was to the fore in organising a multitude of events, including inter-county talent competitions and quizzes, dinner dances, day trips and more soldiering with other 'Limerick Lassies' like Pauline O’Connell, Mary Lynch, Breda Neville, Jo Howard, Anna Neville, Joan O’Shea, Barbara Quaid, Mary Liston and another Abbeyfeale native, Breda Lane, who remembers her friend of over 50 years.  

“Maureen turned up in our flat in Drumcondra in 1971 looking for a dictionary.  She was preparing for an Inter-county Quiz organised annually by the Limerick Association. She did all the research and prepared, graded and set all the questions.  I went to my first Munster hurling final with her and husband Liam in 1971, and I was immediately hooked.  I cannot begin to guess at the number of miles we clocked up since then, as distance and travelling time were of no consequence.”

One of Maureen’s fondest memories was helping to arrange the 1973 All-Ireland hurling final team reception in the Regency Hotel. She recalled that famous night some years ago.  “I’ll never forget it. When we won, the place was besieged.  We had men on the door, but they nearly knocked them down trying to get in. It was a ticket affair, but that went by the board. The excitement was absolutely mighty.”

Many locals paid also paid tribute to Maureen on rip.ie, with one sympathiser saying: "I have fond memories of Maureen from dealing with O'Neill Sports over the years. A lovely person and a proud Limerick lady."

Another mourner noted that it was "great she got to see and celebrate Limerick’s hurling success over the last few years."

"She was an amazing person: kind, courageous, wise, funny and generous and a real force of nature. She embodied an incredible diversity of talents and commitments to helping so many others and with boundless energy," expressed one mourner.

Maureen's interests were many, and with her colleagues in the Association, she campaigned in the 1960s for a university for Limerick and led a massive concert in 1980 in the Stardust in Artane in aid of the family of murdered former Limerick and Wexford hurler, Garda Seamus Quaid.

When the Limerick Supporters Club, now Club Limerick Dublin, was formed in 1995, Maureen was one of its first recruits, and she rarely missed an event or a match involving her beloved green and white. 

Her impact on Dublin went beyond the Limerick diaspora, and up to last year, she was an active volunteer at the Regina Coeli Hostel for Homeless Women and a member of the Legion of Mary for many years, helping in no small way to rebuild the lives of those less fortunate. 

Maureen revelled in the recent Limerick hurling success story, and her final public event was attending the Club Limerick Dublin celebration of the Four-in-a-row in November 2023 at The Goat, owned by another Adare native, Charlie Chawke, where she met one of her great heroes, manager John Kiely.

Maureen's Requiem Mass took place last Tuesday in St Vincent de Paul Church, Marino followed by burial at Shanganagh Cemetery. A Mass in Maureen’s memory will take place at a future date in Adare.

Maureen is survived by her sisters Teresa (Naughton) and Kathleen (O'Keeffe), a nephew, nieces and a large circle of friends and neighbours. Predeceased by her husband Liam, parents and brother Michael.