Tributes have been paid to Waterford GAA stalwart and Fraher Field groundsman Oliver Drummey, who died yesterday.
Drummey gave a lifetime of service to Waterford GAA – particularly in his management of Fraher Field for the last 30 years.
A proud Dungarvan man, Oliver Drummey took over as groundsman at the venue – following on in the footsteps of his late father, Tom.
Waterford County Board Chairman Neil Moore says Oliver Drummey was one of a kind, and an incredible servant to his county.
“It’s a very sad day for everybody involved in Waterford GAA – particularly the Drummey family – due to the sad passing of our groundsman Ollie Drummey yesterday at Fraher Field. Ollie had been groundsman there himself for the last 30 years and his father before him – Tom Drummey – was synonymous with Fraher Field. The Drummeys, Ollie and Tom have given decades of service to us – and speaking to everyone since the news of Ollie’s’ passing broke – everyone has just been shocked and numbed by it”, said Moore.
22 November 2009; Scoreboard attendant Ollie Drummey corrects the spelling of Stradbally before the start of the game. Stradbally v Kilmurray Ibrickane – AIB GAA Football Munster Club Senior Football Championship Semi-Final, Fraher Field, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford. Picture credit: Matt Browne / SPORTSFILE
Moore told WLR that Oliver Drummey was simply a pleasure to work with.
“I’ve been involved with Fraher Field myself for many years and it was just a pleasure to work with Ollie. If anything went wrong over in the field – he’d be on to you straight away saying we need a plumber or an electrician to fix this or that. It was this time of year he’d start his annual battle with the brent geese trying to keep them off the pitch when they’d arrive every Autumn! They were the bane of his life! Outside of GAA, everyone in Dungarvan knew Ollie – he’d be out at the crack of dawn walking the roads talking to everybody – he was a simple man and loved Galway Races and Manchester United.”
One story sums up Oliver Drummey’s commitment to his role.
“He’d always turn up – even this year, Ollie’s family threw a 70th birthday party for him at the Park Hotel on a Saturday night and we couldn’t get the scoreboard working in Ollie’s absence. We rang him and he flew straight up, got it working and was back down to the party. Anything we ever asked of him, he was willing and delighted to do it. We’ll miss him dearly.”
May Oliver rest in peace.
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