Bective mourns passing of Gerry Quinn

Man down, man down, an honourable man has fallen. An officer and a gentleman. And a Ranger. A Bective Ranger. Honorary Life member Gerry Quinn. Past President Gerry Quinn. Executive Committee member Gerry Quinn. Bective Rangers member for 62 years Gerry Quinn. The epitome of a Bective Ranger. There’s one in every club? Gerry Quinn was our one. And some.

Quiet(ish), unassuming, beavering away selflessly in the background nearly unnoticed, but NOT unnoticed. We saw you Gerry – we all saw you. Running discos, furiously fundraising, painting the walls, sanding the floors, fixing numerous leaks in the roof, hand making the wooden frames for all the pennants adorning the clubhouse walls. Single handedly raising the funds to purchase our additional grounds in Glenamuck. Respect, Gerry. Volunteerism at it’s finest.

There isn’t a Ranger nor indeed a rugby aficionado that has passed through the doors of Bective Rangers that doesn’t know and have fond memories of Gerry Quinn. The huge Donnybrook Garda, “Officer Quinn” with the red hair, the Roscommon accent and the trademark Sheepskin coat. The meekest bouncer/doorman in Dublin 4. He was like a mentor, a Dad and an Uncle all rolled up into one for every young buck who ventured through the clubhouse doors.

Passing through the door of the Bective discos of the ‘80’s and 90’s was like a select Garda/Army Rangers recruitment drive. Gerry was head recruiter. The young bucks up from the country in the big smoke, the UCD and Veterinary College students, the civil servants. His thick country accent a soothing safe salve for all us culchies. Reassuring. We were amongst our people, our tribe. Gerry turned on his unique gruff charm. If you were a big lump and anyway athletic looking then Gerry was on it. You were going to be a Ranger - a Bective Ranger. End of. You may have passed in for free. You may have received free pints. Offer and acceptance. Ask not what your club can do for you - ask what you can do for your club? That was Gerry Quinn to a tee.

In a recently published episode of Chuck’s Chats fireside interviews on BRTV the great Dr. Tim O Flanagan paid Gerry a wonderful tribute. Dr. Tim is 55 years in Bective Rangers and the one member who epitomises Bective to him was…. Gerry Quinn. Prescient?

The club recently submitted a nomination for the IRFU 150 Service to Rugby Medal. Our nominee? Gerry Quinn. The citation reads:

“Gerry Quinn joined Bective in 1963 and played rugby for the club until retiring in 1980 at the age of 40.

Once he finished playing, Gerry became involved in administration and fund-raising from the early 1980’s and continued to be active until 2015. He was a member of the Executive for 30 years and was Bective President for the season 1999-2000.

His most notable activity in the club was running the famous Bective disco for 35 years.  He single-handedly organised and controlled the weekly event which provided an entertainment outlet for young people in Dublin and delivered a steady income stream for the club.

This income helped purchase our additional grounds in Glenamuck, a project in which he was intimately involved.  It relieved the pressure of pitch space in Donnybrook and also proved a wise long-term investment.

As a serving member of An Garda Síochána stationed across the road in Donnybrook, Gerry carried the authority, experience and local knowledge which were of enormous help in the running of the club.  His reassuring presence, in or out of uniform, was a comfort during the occasions the clubhouse was full to overflowing with well-oiled players and supporters.

Gerry’s contribution was made up of much more than administration and discos.  It was very much hands-on as he personally maintained the floors in the bar and the hall, sanding and varnishing them annually as well as attending to occasional roof leaks, painting and decorating or whatever work needed to be done even down to sourcing and providing club merchandise and running raffles.

His voice was heard at every AGM, with both positive and negative contributions as his commitment and passion meant he was familiar with every detail of the club and even though members may not have always agreed with him, he could not be ignored.

As a member of Bective, Gerry’s presence in the club over 60 years has left an indelible mark, both in the physical and emotional sense.  Although the clubhouse has been renovated in recent years, its durability over the decades beforehand was due to his drive and determination.  He gave of his time more than most, being ever-present at games at home and away dressed in his trademark sheepskin coat and between games, in the clubhouse.

As a local Garda his membership of the club reflected well within the community. He was a regular presence at Lansdowne Road on international match days and his huge stature was unmistakable in the clubhouse afterwards as he mingled with supporters in full uniform including his cap. He represented the club as president at the dawn of the millennium, appropriate for a man who always looked forward with a positive attitude and a quarter of a century later continues to support the club and the game he has always loved.

In addition to his many roles in Bective, Gerry also acted as unofficial recruiter with a somewhat unorthodox method. As supervisor-in-chief of the discos in the club, he often took the opportunity to approach big athletic young men, heads spinning with the promise of what the night might bring and at their most vulnerable time late at night, sign them up as players.

Gerry is a much-admired figure in Bective and will rank among the greats of the club long into the future.”

A behemoth of a Ranger. 62 years service. Rest in peace now Gerry. You gave it your all – we are forever in your debt. We offer our heartfelt condolences to Brid, David, Rachel, Rebecca and Ruth. What a husband, what a Dad, what a Bective Ranger. Thank you for sharing him with us. A great tree has fallen.

“When great trees fall,

rocks on distant hills shudder,

lions hunker down

in tall grasses,

and even elephants

lumber after safety.

When great trees fall

in forests,

small things recoil into silence,

their senses

eroded beyond fear……..

And when great souls die,

after a period peace blooms,

slowly and always

irregularly. Spaces fill

with a kind of

soothing electric vibration.

Our senses, restored, never

to be the same, whisper to us.

They existed. They existed.

We can be. Be and be

better. For they existed.”

Maya Angelou