Mary Carmel O'Dwyer:MARY CARMEL O'Dwyer, who has died aged 71, has aptly been described as the "rock" behind Mick O'Dwyer, the most successful football manager in the history of the GAA.
While he was making his mark in the world of sport, she became a successful businesswoman in her own right. A force to be reckoned with in the tourism industry, she ran an enterprise at Waterville on the Ring of Kerry that included a hotel, garage, pub and BB, plus an undertaking business run by her father Dan O’Sullivan, who also had a hardware shop in the seaside town where she was born.
Throughout their long relationship she remained unaffected by her husband’s fame as manager of the Kerry team in the golden years from 1974 to 1989 and more recently when he managed the Kildare, Laois and Wicklow senior teams. In a fitting tribute, past and present players and GAA officials from all parts of the country were among the mourners at her funeral.
“When it came to sport, they were like chalk and cheese,” a family friend observed. “She was only ever once in Croke Park. She preferred to stay at home and would go to bed when Kerry were playing instead of watching it on television.
“She was the boss in the house in a totally straightforward, business-like way and Michael would never do anything without Mary’s say-so,” he added. “He looked up to her to such an extent that whatever Mary said, Michael did. There was a fantastic relationship between the two of them.”
Never one to be overawed by celebrity status, while he was making his name in Gaelic football, she was carving out a reputation in the business world. Among her many qualities, she was strong, independent, and a plain talker who called a spade a spade. In the words of her son Robbie: “What you saw is what you got.”
The couple celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in February, a 50-year relationship that Jimmy Deenihan, family friend, former Kerry player and Minister for Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht Affairs, described as being “as strong in the end as it was in the beginning”.
From her early days as a receptionist in the old Waterville Lake Hotel, she developed a remarkable memory for names, an invaluable asset in the tourism industry. Over the years, in addition to Mick’s garage they opened a pub-cum-BB before acquiring the Strand Hotel in partnership with two Cork businessmen later bought out by the O’Dwyers, who subsequently sold the hotel.
She developed a heart condition and had a bypass in 1981, but ran the company until her retirement 10 years ago.
Her work for the elderly and other community activities and charities were praised by Waterville parish priest Fr John Kerin, who described her as a “dedicated wife, mother and a businesswoman possessed of great energy. She was also devoted to prayer and was a regular Mass-goer and will be sorely missed by the parish.”
Last June, at the unveiling of a bronze sculpture in his honour, her husband paid tribute to the wife who had supported him all through his sporting life, overseeing the business while he pursued his ambitions as a player and manager in Gaelic football. In a moving tribute on her passing, he said simply: “She was some woman.” She is survived by her husband Michael, and sons John, Michael, Robbie and Karl.
Mary Carmel O’Dwyer: born July 14th, 1941; died September 26th, 2012