Emy Lake

Val Forde Seat: On the evening of August 14th 1964 the sun was shining and the day was warm and a number of youths gathered at Emy Lake shore to play football and then cool down with a swim in the Lake. Val Forde was one of those and football was his life. He was a tremendous athlete and powerful footballer and no wonder - football ran in the family with Patsy, Kevin, Gerard, Sean and Declan all playing for Emyvale and poor Kitty, the only sister having to listen to nothing but football. Val was full of energy, a great pair of hands to catch and hold the ball and fantastic speed to run the full length of the field in record time. Halfback or centre field was his preferred spot. On the previous Sunday, August 9th Val had played at right full-back for county Monaghan U21 team. He was just 18 years of age and had a good game though Monaghan lost heavily to the hot favouties, Donegal. The score was 2 - 14 to 0 - 4 and this was the Ulster final and it was played in Ballybofey. However on the 14th when it was time to head back to the village Val’s good nature caused him to go back into the water to retrieve a ball that was being blown out further by the wind. He reached the ball and was on his way back in when he suddenly got cramp which pulled him under. Great efforts were made to find him but unfortunately he was not recovered until the following day. The entire North Monaghan community was in shock as was witnessed by his huge funeral. He was a terrible loss to Emyvale and Monaghan and his family were justly devastated. Many can remember that tragedy very clearly and swimmers in Emy were very careful and cautious ever afterwards. The cold springs in the Lake can cause deadly cramp and its suddenness is frightening. The younger generation may never have heard of the tragedy which was never really marked. Recently the Forde family, in conjunction with Donagh Development Association, offered to have a seat placed at the Lake in Val’s memory. The seat, with plaque, was set in place during the week and on Friday, August 16th members of the family and the Association gathered for an unveiling ceremony. Chairman of DDA, John Sherry, welcomed all and thanked the Forde family for having the seat placed along the Walkway. The committee will maintain it and hopefully people will have a peaceful rest on the seat as they look out across the water. Fr. Hubert Martin PP recalled how he learned of the tragedy and had with him a 12” Crucifix which had a plaque which read - In Memory of Val Forde from Emyvale GAA 14th August 1964. The club had presented this to the parish in Val’s memory and it is now held in the oratory. He then recited prayers for the safety of all who use the Lake and avail of the facility and that it will be treated with respect and that all will be conscious of the dangers. He ended with a prayer that Val is enjoying his reward in eternity. In reply Kevin stated that the family are delighted that Val’s memory will continue and that they are unveiling the seat on the Friday exactly 55 years to the day since the tragedy happened. He thanked the committee, the CE scheme members involved and all who helped bring this project to a conclusion. He thanked Fr. Hubert for the touching and beautiful words expressed by him and for his prayers. The family then proceeded to St. Patrick’s Corracrin where the family burial ground is and where the Annniversary Mass for the Forde deceased was being celebrated. These included Val; his mother and father Frank and Mary, and his brothers, Patsy and Sean. Val Forde Appreciation After the tragic death of Val Forde in Emy Lake, the Late Seamus McCluskey wrote an appreciation, which was printed in the Northern Standard and we recall his words here. At only 18 years of age Val Forde was one of the county’s greatest ever prospects and was the first ever Emyvale player to be honoured on two county teams in the one year. From his early days at Edenmore National School he lived for football and quickly graduated through the juvenile and minor ranks to win a permanent place on the Emyvale junior and senior sides. He practised consistently and very often when he could not get anyone to accompany him Val could be seen booting the ball about St. Patrick’s Park, entirely on his own. With his five brothers – Patsy, Kevin, Gerald, Sean and Declan, and his cousin, Paddy Murphy, he formed the nucleus of Emyvale teams over the past number of years and his loss to the Emyvale club is insurmountable. This year he was honoured by both the County Minor and U21 selectors and starred in defensive positions in both grades. Only five days before his tragic death, Val was the star of the Monaghan U21 team, which fell to Donegal in the Ulster final at Ballybofey and in the report of that game which appeared in this newspaper last week, our reporter had this to say – ‘Pick of the full-back line was Val Forde, who fared well on the right flank and later when he substituted with an off form Centre-half’. The county too has suffered an insurmountable loss. Shortly after his seventeenth birthday last year, Val, like the true young patriot he was, joined the ranks of the Emyvale Centre of the Forsa Cosanta Aitiuil and, although still only at the recruit stage, his enthusiasm was sufficient to win him a runner- up place in the annual winter competition at the Emyvale Centre. The plaque presented to him by Commdt. P. Rooney, OC of ‘C’ Company, 8th Battalion, shortly before Easter was one of his most prized trophies. Val Forde was a model to all the young people. Unlike so many of the rising generation, he had little interest in getting away from home. A football gave him all the contentment he desired and it was a cruel irony that a simple plastic football should have brought about his death. He loved his home, he loved his parents, and only this past month he gave up a well-paid holiday at Gormanstown F.C.A camp to be with his parents and take them on a trip round Ireland to visit his brothers Kevin, a member of the Garda Siochana at Millstreet, Co. Cork, and Gerard, a prison officer attached to Limerick Prison, and his sister, Kitty, who is married in Dublin. The good die young, they say, and Val was good. No one ever saw Val vexed, no one ever heard a bad word cross his lips. His kindness at home, at work or on the field of play was something to be admired, to be imitated, to be spoken of. May the sod lie lightly upon him in Corracrin – agus ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal óg.

Since its formation the members of the Donagh Development Association have worked tirelessly and determinedly to achieve the aim for which it was set up and that was to develop a walkway around Emy Lake. That was completed and the public, from near and far, are enjoying the fruits of the labours of the association. However developing the walkway was one thing but its constant maintenance is vital and again the committee have stepped up to the plate and have ensured that it remains an attractive place to walk and they thank the local CE scheme and Monaghan County Council for sharing the work with them which has resulted in the walkway being manitained to a high standard without taking away from the beauty, peacefulness and natural surroundings of the Lake. A minority do not seem to wish to abide by the rules and requests of the committee like dogs on leads, cleaning poop, throwing litter but thankfully they are in the minority. However maintenance costs money and to be in a posiiton to carry out required work, and indeed to plan further enhancing developments, the committee organise a fund raiser each year and they hope to begin some of the developments in the near future. Their efforts are from time to time receiving encouraging donations and again they express their thanks on behlaf of users of the walkway for this assistance. Seating around the Lake adds to its attractiveness and there is little as comforting and peaceful as walkig round the lake and having a rest at one of the many Seats stragically placed for maximum effect. Last week a further seat was added and again in a beautiful position. It wad donated by Frank and Ann Marie from the Four Seasons Hotel, Monaghan. Indeed Frank and Ann Marie have been of great support all through the project and Frank was a Judge for the Wheelbarror Run when it was organised. They attended with members of the DDA at the unveiling of the new seat during the week and John Sherry, Chairman, expressed the thanks of all to Frank and Ann Marie for their generosity. Nature also took part in the ceremony by sprinkling the seat from high up in the branches of the adjoining tree and all agreed that this was certainly a sign of good luck. The people in the picture below are from left: Pat McKenna, Seamus McAree, Brigid McKenna, Frank McKenna, AnnMarie McKenna, John Sherry, Aiden McKenna (Walkway manager), Sheila Murphy and Jim Murphy.