Raymond Daniels (Gaelic footballer)

Raymond Daniels

Personal information
Full name	Raymond Daniels
Date of birth	1979
Place of birth	Dunlavin County Wicklow, Ireland
Date of death	January 26, 2008 (aged 28)
Place of death	Blessington, Ireland
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2000–2008	Wicklow Senior	?	(?)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Raymond Daniels was a Gaelic footballer from County Wicklow. He was goalkeeper for Wicklow's senior football team^[1] for several seasons during eight years.

Playing career

Daniels won a Leinster title with the Wicklow Vocational Schools team. He played under-21 football for Wicklow. He was named player of the year in Dunlavin in 1997 and in Blessington in 2003.^[2] He made his senior football championship debut against Carlow in May 2006.^[3] A groin injury sustained in a National Football League game against Sligo in April 2007 kept Daniels away from football, but he had planned to resume training.^[1][4]

Illness and death

In October 2007, Daniels was admitted to hospital with an infection that caused one of his kidneys to fail. On Tuesday 22 January 2008, Daniels had gotten the all-clear from doctors. He socialised with friends on the following Saturday. He had a suspected heart attack. He was brought to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He was 28. A minute's silence was observed before Wicklow's GAA games on Sunday 27 January. Former GAA President Jack Boothman, the current President of Blessington GAA, described Daniels as a "gifted footballer and goalkeeper". Former Wicklow manager Hugh Kenny also praised Daniels.^[5]

References

1. Town's tears for GAA hero and a doting dad, The Independent.
2. A tribute to Ray Daniels, Wicklow People.
3. Major alterations for the Garden, RTÉ Sport.
4. Popular footballer dies tragically, Letterkenny Post.
5. Hogan, Louise, 2008-01-28, GAA star dies on night out, Irish Independent.