FORMER Kildare goalkeeper Des Marron has been remembered as one of the county’s “great men” following his death.
Marron, 91, died on Monday having lived a life that ranged from starring in a Leinster final and opening his own pharmacy, to becoming the ‘Lord Mayor’ of Clane.
The Clane man minded the nets for the Lilywhites in their 1956 provincial title win against Wexford.
And a year later, he and his father Peter Anthony, co-founded Marron’s Pharmacy – which is still open today – on the Main Street in Clane.
Speaking Kildare Today on Tuesday, both Independent Cllr Padraig McEvoy and Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly paid tribute to him.
McEvoy, who took part in a Kildare Today programme with Marron last year, told the host: “At the age of 90, Des was as sprightly as anybody else at that radio recording you looked after there.
“He still had an interest in what was for the future as well as being able to tell us a lot of what happened in the past.
“He was a founding member of a lot of the clubs and organisations that got going in the town.
“I think he presided over an aspect of the hospital in the town and was linked into many social activities to look after people.”
Marron served as “Lord Mayor” of Clane since 1996, a role in which he was appointed as a reflection of his active endeavour in the community.
McEvoy added: “It kind of revived the honour based on a piece of legislation that had been in place since the 1100s for the building of a bridge over the Liffey and Des went out to earn as much fundraising for local development back in the mid 1990s.
“To reflect that, he was given a bit of a life period as the Lord Mayor.
“Des would appear at all sorts of events in the town – from a book launch, to a book sale or a cake sale, in the parades.
“There is probably quite a few videos of Des arriving at the start of the parade and sitting up on the parade stand every 17th of March.
“He took pride in fulfilling that role and encouraged people with song and good humour and narratives and stories of times of old.”
This tribute was echoed by Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly, who described Marron as “one of Kildare’s great men”.
He said: “I can only attest to my own experience of meeting the Lord Mayor of Clane and he really was in every way and his warmth, his humour, his character.
“He was a great storyteller and a great singer and really just one of Clane and Kildare’s great men.
“He characterised a life full of activity, full of hope, full of vision and has seen significant change.
“It was a real privilege to share that programme with him over that time where we got to hear about that transformation of Clane.
“He was an instrumental part of that so really just this morning to take a very brief opportunity to add my name to what I am sure will be a whole host of condolences and support for the Marron family,”
