Jimmy Gray Obituary, Death Cause – The progenitor of the Dublin Gaelic Athletic Association, kingmaker, evangelist, unselfish, and dynamic…… a few words to describe Jimmy Gray, who went away recently. Jimmy played for Dublin seniors in hurling and football, and he was a gentleman of the highest integrity and ability. He was a sportsman who represented Dublin, and he played in goals for Dublin in the final of the All-Ireland senior hurling championship in 1961, which was the last time Dublin reached the decider.
Jimmy was one of the first members of his much-loved Na Fianna club. He later went on to become the President of the Dublin County Board and devoted his entire life to the promotion of Gaelic sports in the city. His effect was felt over the decades, and it remained even after he passed away, as a result of his important role in promoting hurling through his work with The Friends of Dublin Hurling, which was recognized by inducting Jimmy into their Hall of Fame in 2009.
In addition to serving as chairman of the Leinster Council for three years, Jimmy served as chairman of the Dublin County Board for a total of 11 years. In 1973, he made one of the most significant phonecalls in the history of Dublin GAA when he convinced Kevin Heffernan, as only Jimmy could, to take over as Dublin’s senior football manager. This call is considered to be among the most crucial in Dublin GAA’s annals. What happened after that, as the saying goes, is history. A long and illustrious past.
During this time period, Dublin saw a renaissance in Gaelic games, a rebirth that has had consequences all the way up to the present day.
Jimmy, a man of both vision and action, managed the Dublin senior hurlers from 1993 to 1996 and went on to become a prominent inter-county referee not long after his senior inter-county playing career came to an end.
His managerial tenure with the Dublin senior hurlers spanned the years 1993 to 1996. Offaly and Kilkenny were competing for the Leinster senior hurling championship in 1969, and he was the referee for the game. Who could forget the joy on his face as he handed the Bob O’Keeffe Cup to Dublin captain Johnny McCaffrey in the summer of 2013 after the team’s outstanding victory, which brought an end to such a long wait to be crowned Leinster champions? An incredibly engaging man who lived a remarkable life.
Who could forget the joy on his face as he handed the Bob O’Keeffe Cup to Dublin captain Johnny McCaffrey? The Dublin GAA would like to express its most sincere sympathies to his wife Gretta, sons Tom and John, daughters Carmel and Annmarie, as well as the rest of his extended family and his many friends.