Stephen Lucey died tragically on the 1st December 2016. He would have been 33 years of age on the 6th of May 2017. He attended Holly Park National School, leaving after 6th Class to go to 1st Year in Willow Park and then to Blackrock College, finishing as a boarder in the Castle in his final year.
After the Leaving Certificate he went to UCD to study Commerce and later to Griffith College to study Law.
Stephen played mini-rugby in Blackrock College RFC from the age of six; he loved rugby, but it did not always love him back. It wasn’t unusual to see Stephen in a sling, in fact it was his favourite accessory.
Whether it was lining out for Blackrock, Monkstown, Sandymount touch or any of the many tag teams he played on, he would give 110%. On the 29th April 2017, the first annual tag tournament in honour of Stephen was held in Stradbrook, thanks to the Trojan work of Caroline Little, with the proceeds of over €10,000 being divided between Aware and Pieta House charities.
In January 2013 Stephen joined the staff of Shelbourne Pharmacy Ltd in Irishtown, Dublin 4 and became a Director in 2015. It is testament to his huge popularity with the customers of the pharmacy and the people of Irishtown and Ringsend that the attendance at his funeral, celebrated by Fr Tom Nash and Fr Ivan Tonge in St Patrick’s Church Ringsend, was the biggest the undertakers, Fanagans, had seen in that church.
As his great friend Gavin Little said, if you ever met Stephen it was pretty difficult not to gain a lifelong friend and seeing the outpouring of messages on social media and listening to the many anecdotes at his passing, it was easy to see that everyone else had the same experience. Messages came pouring in from around the world; it just goes to show the impact Stephen had on people.
He will be forever missed by his parents Paddy and Barbara, his loving sisters Sarah and Nicola, his partner Clare, his uncles and aunties, cousins, the extended family and the ‘Rock boys and numerous friends he had.
May he Rest In Peace.
