Stradbally GAA and Stradbally Town AFC in county Laois have paid tribute to the passing of Ciarán O’Neill

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“Stradbally GAA is numb with sadness at the news of the passing of Ciarán ‘Nelly’ O’Neill, who passed away yesterday. A current player with our club, representing Stradbally at both senior and junior levels, Ciarán’s loss is deeply felt throughout the entire club and community. Ciarán was a Stradbally man through and through,”

“He played juvenile football with the club all the way up, winning an U13 Championship at just 11 years of age, and later lining out on the U17 team that reached the Championship Final in 2017 when he was only 15. He also played juvenile football with Laois. More recently, he was part of the Stradbally team that won the Division 5 League in 2024.

“Everyone at Stradbally Town has been left truly devastated at the news of Ciaran O’Neill’s passing yesterday evening. Ciaran was part of this season’s squad, and his loss will be felt deeply by his teammates, management, all our club members and our community as a whole.

“Ciarán had been playing senior football with us on both A & B teams for nearly 8 years now. He was always a great bet for a long range goal; he didn’t do tap-ins and could win you a game in a second. Earlier this season Ciarán grabbed a last minute winner against Lusk United to set us off on our current run into Leinster in this seasons LFA Shield. We will sorely miss and never forget Nelly’s talent, dedication and love for this club.

“At this time we can’t even imagine the pain Ciaran’s family are suffering,” said the statement published on social media.