Deeply involved in many

Terry’s father, Laurence who is retired 23 years and is still hale and heart attended his son’s farewell, having himself served over 30 years as a salesman.

Terry who has resided in Carlingford all his life, has decided to take early retirement on reaching 60 and reflected this week “I was blessed with good health and a good job, and I’m retiring with good memories for I worked with some great people, some who have gone to their eternal reward, but who were very helpful to me.”

His job as engineering officer combined with his very active community, political and sporting roles, pushed him to the forefront of life in Louth, stretching from his very successful days in the colours of Cooley Kickhams, who he captained to senior championship glory in 1973, and the same year led the team to the Leinster final of the inter-club championship before being beaten by a star studded UCD.

Terry won two senior championship medals, along with several Cardinal O’Donnell and Old Gaels Cup medals and during his successful career represented Louth at minor and senior level before golf became his main sporting pursuit in the mid 70’s and resulted in him assuming the captaincy of Greenore.

The following two years produced two of the most memorable events in the peninsula in with Terry was centrally involved. He was the proud captain who watched clubman, Noel McGrane win the West of Ireland championship at Rosses Point and the wild celebrations were repeated the following year when with Terry at the helm of Carlingford Tidy Towns Committee, a role he fulfilled for the best part of a dozen years, the town lifted the national award.

“They were two busy years” reflected Terry, laying the credit for the Tidy Towns success to the efforts of a “very vibrant committee”. Then it was virtually all a voluntary effort.

Terry recalls that the announcement of Carlingford as the winners was totally unexpected for committee members went to Dublin “hoping to get into the top three” The ceremony was one of the first public functions that John Quinlivan attended on taking over as County Manager.

Terry is still involved in the Tidy Towns movement and has been one of it’s main promoters travelling to places in Kerry to encourage local people to become involved.

He believes that there are enormous benefits to be derived from the competition, but Louth being one of the best supporters hasn’t developed its full potential for tourism given the exceptionally fine facilities with a prime examples being the new golf courses, modern guest houses and hotel accommodation provided in the last number of years.

Another big part of Terry’s very busy life outside work is politics, for he is a long serving member of Louth County Council and was twice a Dail candidate for his party Fine Gael. Retirement, he says, will give him more time to devote to local politics which is “becoming more and more demanding but I have to say I enjoy it,” he confesses.

He also intends to play more golf and work on reducing his handicap which stands at 12, and see if he can arrange a game he promised at Augusta with former US President Bill Clinton when he met him on his visit to Dundalk in December 2000.

Terry is one of the privileged with tickets to have watched the Masters live, attending the championship seven times, and was part of unique occasion that might never be repeated when he was was one of two former Greenore captains who attended the 1990 running of the event, the other being the late Myles McCann.

It was the year that Ronan Rafferty played in the event after winning the European Order of Merit the previous year.

Terry has treaded several of the world’s greatest sporting stages, being to two Ryder Cups, and managed for a bet to briefly play on the hallowed turf of Wimbledon and also get on to the pitch at Wembley.