The Late Denis ‘Good Dinny’ O’Sullivan RIP

Barrack Street residents now gone to their reward, Denny O'Sullivan (left) and Christy Cronin witnessing the removal of a piece of the history of their street on a Friday afternoon in January 1999. ©Photograph: John Reidy 22-1-1999 — Barrack Street residents now gone to their eternal reward, Denny O’Sullivan (left) and Christy Cronin witnessing the removal of a piece of the history of their street on a Friday afternoon in January 1999.
©Photograph: John Reidy 22-1-1999

The passing of Denis ‘Good Denny’ O’Sullivan of Barrack Street, Castleisland has eclipsed his encyclopedic knowledge of the history of the GAA in the locality. There was never a question on any aspect of the GAA locally or in a good streak of the county that he didn’t have a ready answer for.

A native of Ballymacelligott, he was delighted and proud to see his class-mate and fellow altar-boy, Diarmuid Clifford become Archbishop of Cashel and Emily in December 1985 and he had many stories of their times together.

Denny was a gifted mechanic who spent many years with the growing Stanley Divane VW business on the Killarney Road.

He was one of the of the few, local Gaelic football specialists and was one of the social circle who frequented Tadhg Prendiville’s very GAA bar across the street from Hartnett’s Corner.

The ‘Good Dinny’ sobriquet could well have come from his proven and tested knowledge of our national games . However, it came from Brennan’s Bar at the other end of the town and from the height of the darts craze of the 1970s.

Archbishop Dermot Clifford, speaking here at the reopening of Ballymacelligott GAA Club grounds in February 2012, he and Dinny were class-mates and fellow altarboys and Dinny was proud of his friend's achievements. ©Photograph: John Reidy 25-2-2012 — Archbishop Dermot Clifford, speaking here at the reopening of Ballymacelligott GAA Club grounds in February 2012, he and Dinny were class-mates and fellow altarboys and Dinny was proud of his friend’s achievements. ©Photograph: John Reidy 25-2-2012

There were two dart-playing Dinny O’Sullivans and it was a case of Dinny Barrack Street and Dinny Powell’s Road. Darts prowess boiled it all down to Good Dinny and Bad Dinny. He caused consternation in Brennan’s Bar one night when he posed the following to a crowd he first flattered as ‘knowledgeable’. “Who played for the duration of the two games in Tralee today,” Someone found a programme and it was scanned from cover-to-cover and no answer found. At closing time he relented and, to a hushed house, he announced: “Did anyone of ye see Batty Coffey.” Batty Coffey was one of the last of his breed of Travelling melodion players. And he had indeed played for the duration of the two games that day in Tralee. He was Dinny’s trump card on that night. May God be good to both of them.

The arrangements as printed in rip.ie are as follows: The death has occurred of Denis (Denny) O’SULLIVAN

River view, Barrack Street, Castleisland, Kerry. Date of Death: Tuesday 12th August 2014. Sadly missed by his wife Josephine, his family Mary, Eddie, Helen, Jo-Anne and Denise, sons-in-law, 8 grandchildren, all extended family, relatives, neighbours and a large circle of friends.

Rest in Peace

Reposing at Tangney’s Funeral Home, Castlesland on Thursday evening from 5pm to 7pm followed by removal to Castleisland Parish Church. Requiem Mass on Friday at 11.30am. Burial afterwards in Clogher Cemetery, Ballymacelligott.