A Galway community is in shock following the death of former All Star hurler Michael Coleman, who died in an accident on Friday evening clearing up storm damage near his home.
Coleman, an All-Ireland winner with Galway in 1988, died following the accident at his home in Crumlin, Ballyglunin.
He emerged on the scene as a hurler when he won an All-Ireland U-21 medal in 1983. In 1987, he was at midfield when Galway defeated Clare to win the league title but by September he was only a spectator on Hill 16 when they won the All-Ireland title against Kilkenny, having been dropped for the championship.
However, he did not let that disappointment impact him and by the following year he played a starring role at midfield when Galway retained the All-Ireland title against Tipperary and he went on to enjoy over a decade on the county side.
He followed up that 1988 All-Ireland win by inspiring Abbeyknockmoy later that year when they won their first and only Galway senior hurling title, pipping holders Athenry by a point in a replay.
Coleman won the first of his three All Star awards the following season in 1989, and was also honoured in 1990 and in 1995. In 1996, he captained Galway to a league final win over Tipperary, when he collected his third medal in the grade.
The 61-year-old was heavily involved in a variety of community events, including sport, the church, senior citizens' group and a host of other local activities.
His neighbour and friend, Deputy Peter Roche, said the community has been stunned by the shock death.
"He was one of the finest people I have ever met," the Fine Gael deputy said. "He was non-stop doing things for the community. It’s incredible to be even talking about him in the past tense.
"He epitomised everything and anything you would want in a person. He organised everything, he was a doer. Nobody could say 'no’ to him, yet he always stayed in the background. He would look for progress reports, he would drive people on but he never looked for credit or for glory.
"He organised the senior citizens’ party every year, he fundraised for Brooklodge Church, he was involved in everything in the hurling club. He organised raffles and events to raise money for different projects in the community. He was just always doing stuff, not for his own good but for the good of his neighbours and community, young and old.
"Is it any wonder people are just stunned as the word spreads? People can’t believe it. He will be such a huge loss to the community but our thoughts and prayers are with his family. We just can’t believe this has happened."
Coleman is survived by his wife Mary, daughter Sinead and son Dara.
Last week, Sinead was the recipient of a camogie All Star award in Galway following her exploits for Abbeyknockmoy in 2024, while Dara has been a prominent member of the club hurling team in recent years.
