Chai Brady
File photo shows Barney Curley (centre) with Mr Sean Barrett TD and Senator Ronan Mullen. Photo: John Mc Elroy. Legendary gambler, trainer and man of faith Barney Curley who died on Sunday aged 81, has been honoured for his “unusual talents” and the “amazing” things he did for the poor.
Charity
Born and brought up in Irvinestown in Co. Fermanagh, Mr Curley’s dramatic battles with bookies are the stuff of legend, particularly the Yellow Sam betting coup in June 1975. He is also famous for his charitable work for Direct Aid for Africa, the charity he founded in 1996.
Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Senator Ronan Mullen, who proposed that Mr Curley receive the Oireachtas Human Dignity Award – which he did in 2015 – said: “I remember hearing him saying the Rosary once and he would end each decade with the Chaplet prayer, this was a man with an intense personal faith and he didn’t flaunt it but he certainly didn’t hide it either.
“I was intrigued by the fact that he had a strong spiritual core but was involved in this world of tricking bookmakers and pulling stunts and all of that attractive roguish stuff… using his unusual talents in the world.”
Mr Curley had been instrumental in the early careers of several prominent jockeys. In recent years he had been largely dedicated to his charity work.
Irish missionary
Regarding Mr Curley’s charity, Senator Mullen said: “Very often there was an Irish missionary connection, he clearly had a lot of respect for the fact that the missionaries were getting the stuff done on the ground without any big palaver.
“He had always been impressed by missionaries he had encountered and how much good these people were doing and the simplicity of their approach to life.”