It was a complete shock and source of immense sadness to learn of the passing of Richie Rennicks at the age of just 47 following a short illness.
For as long as wheels have been required to convey yours truly around this big old ball of a world, the importance of the Rennicks family to our parish in both business and sporting terms has been beyond question.
It’s hard to know which end of that story to begin with. So to keep matters a modicum ordered, we’ll take them in chronological order. Which in this instance means going back to the 1950s and 60s. To when Dunboyne was quite a large hub for motorsport. In the context of the times at least.
With people like David Yeates and Sean Boylan and, of greatest relevance to here, the late Robin Rennicks – Richard’s father.
So significant, in fact, was the late Mr Rennicks’s contribution to the scene back then that there’s at least one plaque to his memory in the parish.
Of greater import, though, was the contribution made by Robin Rennicks and his wife Maureen to the local business community and economy.
Through their two factories in Kilbride. The plants were groundbreaking at the time of their establishment. Not only because factories weren’t a thing in the locality at the time but also because, even if they were, Belgree, Kilbride, certainly wouldn’t be the first place which would jump to mind.
So kudos to Maureen and the late Robin for thinking ahead of their time. Their foresight, you see, providing employment to this locality – including the two sisters of this writer, one of whom met her husband in the same spot – as well as folk from further afield.
There were two separate factories on site, Rennicks Manufacturing and Rennicks Ireland. One of which made computer chips and circuit boards, while the other delivered production of almost every road sign in the country.
It will be openly admitted, though, by this writer at least, that the family becoming involved in GAA – even the lads – Richie, Andrew and Conor – as players, let alone the businesses providing sponsorship – wouldn’t have been on the radar at all.
Yet that is exactly what happened on both counts. The Rennicks brothers playing underage football with Dunboyne and adult with Kilbride while Rennicks Manufacturing supplied tracksuits for a Dunboyne Minor panel which both Richie and Andrew were part of that made it to their county final in 1996.
More than that, at a time when Kilbride’s fortunes were nowhere near as healthy as is currently the case, all three lads pulled on the county colours at various levels.
However, it was Ricbie who reached the biggest stage when he, Richard ‘Chalky’ Bruton and Kevin Quinn got the call from Sean Boylan into the Meath panel for the 1996/’97 National League after the Games Administration Committee (now the CCCC) decided to give Meath more of the blame for the bit of line dancing in front of the Hill than Mayo. Suspending seven of our lads to five of theirs.
Thus, Richie Rennicks made his senior inter county debut in the second round of the NFL in Pairc Ui Chaoimh that autumn. Where he marked none other than the great Colin Corkery.
Cork won handy enough, 0-13 to 1-05, with Cathal Sheridan accounting for the entire Meath tally.
That said, Richie had done enough to retain his spot on the panel for the remainder of the league campaign. Even when the ‘main men’ came back.
I’m actually not sure at what stage the round ball was swapped out for the oval one, or whether the ran in tandem, but, as was the case with the other lads also, Kilbride, Meath and rugby’s loss was an immense when injury cut his career short.
Still, he never lost touch with his roots and, despite being profoundly ill, he was in Pairc Tailteann last October to see the green and red return to the Promised Land.
May you rest in peace Richie.
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