Tournament in memory of Sean Bowden
By Hayden Moore
IN MEMORY of the late Sean “Bowdey” Bowden, St Mark’s GAA club will be hosting a football tournament almost a year on from his tragic passing.
The inaugural Sean Bowden Memorial Tournament will take place this Saturday, with the eight-team competition set-up to honour their former player.
Sean (back row, third player from right) with his St Mark’s team-mates
Sean played with St Mark’s up until Under-13s, but following his shock diagnosis with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia in March 2017, he was unable to continue competing.
After dealing with other complications, Sean’s cancer had gone into remission by January 2018.
With his health increasing, Sean was able to visit Anfield to see his beloved Liverpool and even start back to school in Tallaght Community School last September.
Two days after he started back in school, Sean was brought to Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital with a cough by his parents – where they were ultimately told that the leukaemia had returned.
Sean died on October 19 and was laid to rest in Bohernabreena Cemetery at the age of 15.
Speaking to The Echo this week as they prepare for the tournament, current juvenile chairperson Aoife Doran spoke of how it will be an annual occurrence.
Sean Bowden
“We’re going to hold it every year, just so he knows that we are thinking of him and remember him,” she said.
On Saturday morning before the first games throw-in at 10am, there will be a parade involving all seven clubs before they hold a minute’s silence in memory of their former player.
St Mark’s, who are fielding two teams, will host St Patrick’s Palmerstown, St Oliver Plunkett/Eoghan Ruadh, O’Toole’s, Garristown, Blessington GAA and Naas GAA for the Under-10 competition.
Two groups of four will compete in the cup and shield tournaments before the family of Sean Bowden present the winners with their awards when the tournament wraps up around 2.30pm.
