A remarkable Mayoman blessed with a deep love of sport and community
by Michael Heverin
Castlebar man Michael Heverin was someone whose love of sport, and his support for clubs around his native town, defined his life.
The importance of sport, and its role in the well-being and health of the community, was something he believed in strongly.
He was an accomplished tennis player, and off the court rose to the highest position nationally in the sport.
He was a founding member of Castlebar Celtic, and a former president, and was involved in the purchase of Celtic Park in 1954.
He was a founding member of the Mayo Association Football League and was inducted into its Hall of Fame.
A keen golfer, Michael was for many years also a member of Castlebar Golf Club.
But he held a special affinity for Castlebar Rugby Club.
His enduring legacy is that every time rugby club teams take to the pitch, they wear the sky blue and navy jerseys that he brought to the club.
That followed his time as a student in Castleknock College, when on his return to his hometown he was delighted to present Castlebar Rugby Club with a set of jerseys worn by the famed Dublin college and rugby nursery.
Michael served the club as a player and committee member and was instrumental in revitalising the club in the late 1930s and early 1940s. He went on to become a highly regarded rugby referee. He was club president from 1974 to 1976.
Michael Heverin’s love of rugby passed on through the generations to the present day.
Following in his footsteps as a player with Castlebar RFC, across various age groups, were his son Michael, grandsons Paul, Eoin and Ruairí, and his great-grandchildren Toni, Lauren, Leah and Paul Óg.
It is no exaggeration to say that outside of his beloved wife Rhona and three children, Sandra, Paul and Michael, his life revolved around Castlebar and Mayo, and throughout his 76 years he was dedicated to the promotion of both town and county.
His pride of place was rooted in the family business, The Irish House on Ellison Street.
The business was founded by his grandfather James Heverin and grew into a business whose reputation as a quality general drapers and boot warehouse was known well beyond the county boundaries. The business was carried on for many years by Michael’s father, Joseph.
After the untimely death of Joseph aged just 40, his wife Bridie ran the business and was in turn followed by her son Michael.
The Irish House was one of the foremost businesses in the town, drawing clientele from far and wide for its renowned range of ladies and gents wear.
Michael was delighted to see The Irish House name revived again when his son, Paul, opened the popular pub with the same name and under the same roof. Another generation of The Irish House lineage, Michael’s grandson Alan, now runs the business.
Following his business career, Michael (or Micheál as he was known for many years to his friends and acquaintances) spent a number of years in Texas, working in the Santa Rosa Medical Centre in San Antonio, before returning home where he again dedicated himself to the promotion of Mayo and its many beautiful and unique attractions, becoming a founder member of Ireland West Tourism, as well as playing a key role in establishing the SKAL organisation, dedicated to giving a greater national and international profile to Mayo hotels and holiday sites.
He was one of the founders of Castlebar Airport in the 1960s, and a director of Ireland West Airways, which ran a regular service between Dublin Airport and Castlebar – a far-sighted move to bring more visitors and tourists to the town and county.
He was also committed to the promotion of the town when he won a seat on Castlebar Urban District Council, becoming the youngest councillor in the country, aged 22, to chair an urban council.
He stood as an Independent and valued the independence it gave him to work for the town and its people.
He maintained his active involvement in local community and voluntary groups up to his death in 1997, and at the time of his passing was president of both Castlebar International Four Day Walking Festival and Castlebar Concert Band and Youth Orchestra – both organisations that he had huge regard for.
His belief was that if something was good and positive for Castlebar, then he was happy to become involved and support it in the best way he could – across the political, sporting, voluntary and community spheres.
Michael’s love of place, his voluntary involvements and his sporting activities overlapped in so many ways. And in many ways, his involvement with local sporting clubs extended to provincial and national level.
He had a lifetime connection to Castlebar Tennis Club, as player, committee member and president, and went on to become president of the Irish Lawn Tennis Association (Tennis Ireland today).
He represented his club and province on the court, captaining Connacht in the inter-provincials, and was a selector for the Irish Davis Cup team.
His involvement in soccer extended from Castlebar Celtic, to the Mayo League and to the Connacht branch. He was also active in go-karting in the 1970s, taking part in events on the local track near Breaffy, as well as travelling to races across the country.
But as a proud rugby man, nothing would have pleased Michael more than to see Castlebar Rugby Club celebrate its 140th anniversary.
He was not there in 1885 for its first formation, but was very much part of the 1939 revival, when along with a group of friends he got the oval ball back into play in the town – as well as providing the new jerseys.
Then following a fallow period in the 1960s when interest waned, he was there again in 1970, at a meeting in the Imperial Hotel, to help kickstart the club again.
He would love to see how the club has progressed since then – and would be thrilled to see how his own great-grandchildren, and the great-great-great-grandchildren of the founder of The Irish House, James Heverin, are still maintaining the family legacy in the town and in Castlebar Rugby Club, and are wearing the sky blue and navy colours with pride and distinction.
(The author of this article is a son of the late Michael Heverin, Ellison Street, Castlebar).