Seamus (Shay Deering)

Seamus (Shay Deering)

Seamus Deering left St Marys College in 1966, having been a brilliant schoolboy rugby player and winning a SCT medal that year. He started veterinary medicine and while at college he played for UCD and Leinster. He qualified in 1971 and practised in Limerick and so while there played for Garryowen and for Munster. He loved the tough hard Munster game, but his first love was St Marys. After some years he joined the Dept. of Agriculture as a veterinary Officer and was first posted to Dublin and later to Mullingar where he became a Senior Veterinary Inspector in charge of the Mullingar District Office, covering that area. During all that time he played for his Maro’s and of course he played for Leinster 13 times, for Munster 18 times and for Ireland 8 times; he also captained Ireland in 1979 against the All Blacks. At that time the provinces played mainly four or five times a year, which gives a perspective of his achievements.
He was big gentle but very tough man who played wing forward and while at college, and in his Ireland days, formed a superb backrow partnership with Fergus Slattery, they were like two “seek and destroy missiles”. But there was a lot more to his game than being a impenetrable tackler, he was too a great ball player and reader of the game and was brave to a fault. He was a born leader — from the front.

His most beloved wife Ann, who was also his childhood sweetheart, has always been a truly admired and welcome visitor. She has the wonderfully happy and generous disposition. They were inseparable.

He played at senior level for St Marys for many years, playing to the mid-eighties. This was a golden era of St Mary’s rugby when many cups and leagues were won, he captained St Marys to a league win in 1979-80 and Shay was surrounded by other great Mary’s players like Sean Lynch, Johnny Moloney, Tom Grace, Ciaran Fitzgerald, JB Sweeney, Terry Young, the Hickies and many more. In the late eighties he was diagnosed with cancer and after a typically brave and uncomplaining fight he died in 1988. It was a tragedy for the club and for all those who loved him, and for rugby. Mount Argus had never before seen the crowd that came to say good bye to “the Deero”. He was such a happy good humoured man who never forgot his friends or his roots. He certainly numbers amongst the most popular and best respected players and members in the history of St Marys and to imagine that he achieved the same respect and admiration in Munster, where you earn respect the hard way, gives some idea of the wonderful man he was. For all those who knew him, he will always have a special place in their memories. The Shay Deering annual Trophy is played for between St Marys and Garryowen the winning of that highly coveted Deero Bust is added incentive to both clubs.

Shay still lives in the hearts all his contemporary members, and although dead almost thirty years, is still highly relevant for today’s players, as he represents all that is great about St Marys, he was the embodiment of that undying loyalty and spirit, commitment and bravery.

D O’Brien