Frank White, Castleknock, Dublin 15 and formerly of Cloghogue, Castlebaldwin, Co.Sligo. Peacefully at Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown, Dublin. Mass of Christian Burial on Friday 12 noon in St. Patrick's Church, Ballyrush, followed by burial to adjoining cemetery.
Frank White, a native of
Castlebaldwin, was considered by many to be one of Sligo’s finest ever Gaelic
footballers.
In 1941, when he was only a Minor, Frank played on the
Knockalassa Senior team that contested the county final, which they lost by
just a point to Easkey.
In the same year, Frank made his debut for Sligo, when he played
at full-forward in the Connaught Minor Championship against Roscommon.
He made his Connaught Senior Championship debut in Boyle in 1943
against Leitrim and in the same year played in the League and Championship
Finals with Knockalassa and played in the 1944 League Final the following year
with Knockalassa.
Frank joined An Garda Siochana in December 1943 and his first
posting was to the Rosses in Donegal, where he met and married Kathleen Duggan,
a native of Dungloe.
Dungloe subsequently
became Frank’s club and he soon came to the attention of the county team,
going on to play with the Donegal Senior team in 1944,1945, and 1946, in which
year he was appointed Donegal Senior captain.
At this stage, Frank
answered the tug on the heartstrings and the call of his native county and
lined out for Sligo in the 1947 Connaught Championship, a year in which they
reached the Connaught Final, only to be beaten by Roscommon.
In 1948, Frank played at midfield on the Sligo team that played
Kerry in a memorable National Football League quarter-final played in the
Showgrounds.
In a distinguished 10 year career with Sligo, Frank played in two
subsequent Connaught Finals in 1954 and 1956 and in his three Connaught
Final appearances he played in three different positions, midfield, full-back
and full-forward.
During this period Frank also had the honour of captaining Sligo
at the official opening of Markievicz Park in 1955, when Sligo played Mayo.
A writer on GAA affairs at the time wrote the following:
"The resurgence of the Sligo Gaelic football team coincided
with the arrival of the great Frank White. For several years previously,
Frank played with distinction for Donegal, having been a Garda in Dungloe. But,
from once he declared for his native county in 1947 until the mid 50’s, Frank
became a legend."
A clean fielder, he kicked long and accurately with either foot
and could fill any position on the field with equal aplomb. Indeed I have heard
the opinion expressed many times that Frank White was the greatest all-round
Gaelic footballer ever.’
In these years, Frank was also a regular on the Connaught panel
between 1948 and 1955 and in 1951 won a coveted Railway Cup medal. He also had
the unique distinction of playing for another province, Ulster, in his
inter-provincial career.
In his final year of football, he returned to play with Donegal
in the 1957 Ulster championship, in which year he also helped his beloved
Dungloe club to a Senior Football Championship and in 2003 he was honoured by
the Dungloe club by being selected on their Hall of Fame team.
Frank became the first member to be inducted into the Shamrock
Gaels Hall of Fame in 2012.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis
Courtesy of www.shamrockgaels.com