Passing of 1960s Cavan football icon Tom Lynch
News
Cavan has lost another of its iconic former footballers with the unexpected passing of Mountnugent native Tom Lynch.
Tom made his senior debut for Cavan in 1959 and played through until the end of the 1969 season, before emigrating to Canada and returning to play a few more matches at senior level in 1971.
He played at midfield on the Ulster-winning teams of 1962, ’64, ’67 and ’69. He also won an Ulster Junior Championship in 1962, two McKenna Cups and two Wembley tournament medals (beating Sligo and Galway).
At club level, he won a Junior Championship with Mountnugent in 1964 and a Senior League medal, beating the great Crosserlough side, in 1967.
In a 2014 interview with the Anglo-Celt, Tom reminisced on growing up on the Cavan-Meath border in the late 1940s and early 1950s when the two counties were among the strongest in the country in senior football.
“You'd have to understand that growing up at that time, going to school in Meath, Cavan and Meath were the two top teams in the country. Meath surprised Cavan in ’49, Cavan were going for three in a row. They brought back Jim Kearney of Oldcastle. I was going to Oldcastle later on, I knew all of this. This all happened in our locality.
“Jesus, it was fierce, the pressure going to school at the time. But then when Cavan won the All-Ireland in ’52, that was a turnaround for us.
“It was deadly. It was alive with football, you couldn't miss it.”
The personable Tom was remembered at last night’s county convention at St Patrick’s Hall in Shercock. County secretary Martin Cahill noted in his annual report that it had been an “annus horribilis” for Cavan football with the passing of so many noted former players and administrators, including Brendan Keaney, Packie Smith, Oliver Galligan, Paddy Carolan and, in recent weeks, Miceál Greenan, all of whom served leading roles on the county board and were noted players in their time.
Tom Lynch had also served as the President of Cavan county board as well as President of Virginia Golf Club, where he was a regular player and a noted competitor, winning the Captain’s Prize on a couple of occasions.
The notice on RIP.ie reads:
Tom Lynch, Virginia, Co. Cavan, formerly of Greeve, Mountnugent on December 9th 2025, peacefully at home. Pre-deceased by his parents, Thomas and Mary Kate, his brothers Peter, Michael & Pat & sisters Kathleen, Mary, Eileen, Monica, Bridget and Sr Philomena.
Sadly missed by his sons Tomas, Conor, Fergal and Cathal, their mother Kathleen, his daughters-in-law Regina, Aisling, Katja and Debbie, his grandchildren Maya, Ben, Eila, Timmy and Daniel, his sister Bernie (Ginnell), his close friend Alice, his nieces, nephews, extended family and his many friends.
Tom will be reposing in Gibneys Funeral Home, Oldcastle (A82 D376), on Friday evening December 12th from 4pm to 7pm, before removal to St Mary's Church in Virginia for prayers at 8pm. Funeral mass on Saturday morning December 13th at 11am, followed by burial in Ballinacree cemetery.