Tributes continue to pour in for Armagh GAA player Caolan Finnegan, who lost his battle with brain cancer this morning. The 20-year-old was first diagnosed with an aggressive form of the disease in August 2023, prompting months of treatment to bring it under control. Sadly, Caolan has lost his battle with brain cancer, with the fundraising page ‘ Care for Caolan ‘ leading tributes to the beloved footballer in recent hours.
They wrote: ‘It is with deep sadness and regret that we inform you of the untimely passing of our dear Caolan “Stringer”. ‘May his beautiful and gentle soul Rest in Peace. Heaven will look after him now.
’ His local GAA Club in Crosmaglen, Co Armagh , issued a statement, branding the player a ‘true ranger’. They wrote: ‘Caolan lost his battle earlier this morning. A battle fought with enormous courage, strength and dignity.
‘We are so proud of you, Caolan—a true Ranger. You will be forever remembered as one of the greatest who ever donned the black & amber. Forever in our hearts.
’ The club has suspended all activities until further notice as a mark of respect to the Finnegan family. Last month, the player, 20, received a special visit from one of his idols, ex- Celtic Manager Neil Lennon, who travelled to visit Caolan in recent months. The young man’s brother told the Belfast Telegraph that Lennon’s visit had meant a great deal to Caolan, as the ex-boss was also grieving the loss of his mother.
Brother Patsy told the Belfast-based paper that it was kind of Lennon to make the trip to Caolan during what must have been a challenging time in his personal life. He said: ‘We never imagined in a million years that Neil Lennon would be in our house, having coffee with us. ‘His visit was such a massive lift to Caolan.
Neil is such a great man with a great attitude about everything. ‘It meant the world to us, especially given his own circumstances. The fact he took the time to call in, even after just losing his mother, shows the kind of person he is.
‘We owe a lot of thanks to him,’ Patsy continued. ‘Talking to him about football and family really lifted us. It was amazing.
’ After Lennon’s visit, Caolan received another visit from Orchard Captain Aidan Forker, who also called in to see the GAA fanatic following Armagh’s triumph over Galway in July of this year. Caolan had previously lined up for Armagh at every underage grade. Following the All-Ireland Final, teammate Oisin O’Neill wore a t-shirt to a press conference promoting charity organisation ‘Care for Caolan’ to raise funds for the 20-year-old’s cancer battle.
The ‘Care for Caolan’ GoFundMe raised nearly €390,000 for the player, allowing him to travel to Germany for specialised brain cancer treatment. Among the tributes paid since following his death earlier today, Kerry Great and Armagh selector Kieran Donaghy tweeted: ‘So sad. Devastating loss for his family, friends and the Crossmaglen community.
‘Stringer battled as hard as he could, showed up at a session before the All-Ireland to inspire the Armagh boys, it worked. Rest in peace.’.
