Cyril Haran (7 February 1931 – 25 June 2014) was a Gaelic footballer and

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priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

, scholar and schoolteacher. He managed the Sligo county team.

Biography

Cyril Haran was born in February 1931. He had three sisters: Grace Liddy (who predeceased him), Margo (based in Sligo at her brother's death) and Sr Vickey Haran (based in the

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at that time). He played Gaelic football for Grange as a youth during the 1940s and would go on to become club president. He taught English at

Summerhill College Summerhill College (aka The College of the Immaculate Conception) is a Roman Catholic voluntary secondary school for boys located in the town of Sligo in northwest Ireland. History The school was founded in 1857 by then-Bishop of Elphin, Dr L ...

in Sligo (where he was known as "Cyrilly" or "Dosser"), as well as training the school's soccer and Gaelic football teams. He also taught at St Muredach's College in

Ballina, County Mayo Ballina ( ; ) is a town in north County Mayo, Ireland. It lies at the mouth of the River Moy near Killala Bay, in the Moy valley and Parish of Kilmoremoy, with the Ox Mountains to the east and the Nephin Beg mountains to the west. The town ...

, and spent time teaching at the University of San Diego in 1968. He managed St Mary's to their first

Sligo Senior Football Championship The Sligo Senior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic Athletic Association club competition between the top Sligo clubs. The winners of the Sligo Senior Championship qualify to represent the county in the Connacht Senior Club Football Cha ...

title; in 1977, they were the first Sligo club to win a

Connacht Senior Club Football Championship The Connacht Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football tournament played between senior clubs in Connacht, with one qualifying from each of the five individual county championships. The winners of the Connacht football champ ...

title. In 1978, he managed St Mary's to a Sligo Football Championship semi-final against Grange, won by Grange in a replay. He managed the Sligo county team between 1983 and 1985. Other teams he managed were

Roscommon Gaels Roscommon Gaels GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in Roscommon in County Roscommon, Ireland. The club provides teams for both hurling and Gaelic football. History The club was founded in 1959 as a result of a merger betwee ...

and St Michael's. He was noted for telling his teams: "Lads, winning isn't everything", then to pause and follow through with "It's the only thing". His enjoyments included literature and fishing.

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Fr. Haran spent 58 years as a priest. He was

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1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, ar ...

and went on to be curate in

Roscommon Roscommon (; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60, N61 and N63 roads. The name Roscommon is derived from Coman mac Faelchon who buil ...

and Sooey. In 1988, he was posted to Grange as CC and became parish priest of Ahamlish and Inishmurray in 1997. His retirement came in 2003. He received a celebration Mass and presentation. He spent it at Streedagh until he died from a short illness at the North West Hospice in June 2014 at the age of 83. His funeral was held at Church of Mary Immaculate, Grange, and he was buried afterwards in Sligo Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haran, Cyril 1931 births 2014 deaths Gaelic football managers Gaelic games club administrators 20th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests Irish schoolteachers Sportspeople from County Sligo Teachers of English