Football match is held in memory of tragic Andrew

Orla O’Driscoll

ANDREW Roddy was a joker. A larger than life personality, he was loved by his friends for his constant mischief.

A keen footballer, he was not averse to using unorthodox methods to put his opponents off their game.

Andrew, who was originally from Killester, once convinced his co-workers at New Ireland Insurance that he had watched a documentary on National Geographic which had shown all Polar bears were left handed. 

“Because he could,” says his wife Gillian. “He said, ‘they believed me, because why would you lie about that?’”

According to Gillian, who lives in Portmarnock,  Andrew loved making people laugh.

“It was always just innocent fun,” she tells Northside People. 

“I think his friends all miss that. He was such a huge personality.”

Andrew died unexpectedly on honeymoon in October 2017, taking a mass of energy, laughter, and mischief with him. He had just turned 30. He leaves behind a broken hearted young wife and a vast legacy of love. 

Over the May bank holiday weekend, Gillian (33), and Andrew’s best friends, Simon Devenney and Rob Gorman, hosted a charity football match in Scribblestown, in Andrew’s honour, to raise funds for the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust.

Gillian says: “His friends said they wanted to do something in his honour. “We settled on raising funds for the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust, as they had supported me and my family so much in the aftermath of Andrew’s sudden death.”

Andrew and Gillian had been together for just five years and were honeymooning in the Maldives when the tragedy occurred.

“You don’t know what to do,” says Gillian. “I phoned home, and everyone gathered here. My aunt knew about the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust and phoned them. They were amazing. 

“They asked if we had travel insurance, and once they knew we did, they still advised what would happened next, and how the whole procedure would unfold.”

Gillian was covered by travel insurance, and so did not need to avail of the fund, set up by Colin Bell, after his son Kevin’s tragic death in New York while on a J1 visa five years ago.

Colin says: “We get tremendous support throughout Ireland and from the wider diaspora. “Any fundraising that is done is always for the next family who are going to get terrible news. 

“It says a lot that we are so well funded solely through donations.”

The fund is used for repatriation to Ireland, in cases where people are not insured. 

“Andrew was the glue between his friends,” says Gillian. 

“To see them out in force on Sunday (May 6) raising funds was amazing. So many people don’t think travel insurance is important. It’s vital. Our insurance kicked in and my Dad was able to come to support me in bringing Andrew home.”

So far €9,000 has been raised from the football event, but Gillian is hopeful that they can increase this. 

“It costs up to €15,000 or more to bring a body home,” she says. 

“Depending on circumstance. The money raised will help a family in a tragedy. We had insurance and the support of the Irish embassy was invaluable. And I can’t praise the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust enough for what they do, and how they supported us.”

Gillian hopes to return to work with New Ireland. “Work have been great,” she says. “It’s where Andrew and I met and worked together. It’s their loss too. The fundraiser has been a welcome distraction. Something positive to focus on.”

Gillian hopes to create an annual charity event in Andrew’s name.

“It’s almost seven months now; it’s still surreal,” she adds.

“You don’t get used to it, you just try to build a normality. Andrew was a person, a big huge happy person. And I really want people to remember that.”

The fund will remain open until the end of June. 

For more information on the work of the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust, visit www.kevinbellrepatriationtrust.com