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Small piece on Des Barnes by Eddie Moore

Des Barnes was a very talented footballer who played for St Sylvester's GAA Club from the mid 1960's until the early 1970's. He was too young to be a member of the 1963 Junior Championship winning side. His two brother in laws John Skinner Ryan (who died earlier in the year) and Paddy Ryan were members of that team. That side went on to Intermediate in the late 1960's and Senior in the early 1970's and Des was a part of this very successful period.

When the Club reformed Des had retired as a player but became involved in the Juvenile Section in the 1980's when his four sons Martin, Brian, Declan, & Desmond began playing.

In the early 1980,s Des took over as trainer of the first team & second team which were both Junior at the time. He put in a huge amount of work with others which resulted in the first team becoming Intermediate & then

Senior before the end of the decade in 1989. The second team also progressed up to Junior A & eventually Intermediate after a number of years. The difference this time was that every year there were talented players coming through from juvenile level. This was as a result of the unselfish work put in over many years by Des Barnes and others in the Juvenile section.

Everyone who puts in work at Juvenile level dreams of the day when they may see their children successful at Club or County level. Des Barnes probably more than most reaped the benefits of what he had sown. He lived to see his sons playing Senior for Dublin & Sylvester's. He was a proud man in 1995 when Brian won an All Ireland football medal with Dublin.

The following year 1996 his sons were part of Sylvester's first ever Senior Football Championship winning side.

Sympathies to Doris, Brian Martin, Desmond, Declan, & the rest of the family.

Ar Dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

Eddie

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