P.J. O’DONNELL came from a family steeped in all that is best in country and farming life. He was born in Dromin in 1937 to a family of sporting farmers. Once farming duties were taken care of, it was hunting for the winter, point-to-pointing in the spring, with the better point-to-pointers running under the rules at the local tracks during the summer.

But what set the family apart was their prevailing interest in politics.

It was in the blood. Family history had it that P.J.’s great-grandfather shared a Land League cell with the great Parnell.

P.J. spearheaded his brother Tom’s election for Fine Gael to the 1961 Dáil in the mostly urban constituency of Limerick East, a phenomenal achievement to follow in the footsteps of their mother’s brother Dick O’Connell. Tom served as Minister for the Gaeltacht in the ‘73 Government led by Liam Cosgrave and also as MEP in the first European elections. Carrying on the family tradition, recently re-elected TD for Limerick City, Kieran O’Donnell, is his nephew.

As the dairy farm prospered and his brothers and sisters qualified in their chosen professions, he became immersed in various activities that included public speaking, in which he was a member of the All-Ireland winning Macra na Feirme team in the late ‘50s.

But hunting was his passion and he immersed himself in this great sport around the same time that Tony Tarry first introduced him to a young Hugh Robards in his first season with the Co Limericks cubbing at Dromin.

To say that P.J. and his fellow followers had the best of it would be an understatement.

It was indeed a golden age. It was an era of long hunts and even longer days and anything less than a rider who was prepared to have a go on a proper hunter had little hope of seeing out a day. A Mastership headed up by Lord Daresbury and Lord Harrington with Alan Lillingston and Bobby Barry as Fieldmasters and the legendary P.P. Hogan and James Foley on point to whistle ‘gone away’, these were halcyon days.

On the guidance and advice of good friend and neighbour John Conway, he purchased from the Powells of Nenagh the thoroughbred broodmare Samantha Star. Her progeny went on to produce Chance Coffey by Pragmatic. Trained by his son Pat (P.F.), he went on to win the Coral Cup at Cheltenham.

Firstly ridden by son Bill (now one of Limerick’s leading solicitors and a former FG councillor) to win his maiden at Kildorrery, Chance Coffey’s 1995 Cheltenham Festival victory in the Coral Cup (11/1), ridden by neighbour Gerry O’Neill was indeed his sporting pinnacle.

In later years, he took great pride in his grandson Patrick’s career when apprenticed to Ralph Beckett. But he took a particular pride in his granddaughter Sylvia’s successes on Extensio (7/2) winning in Fairyhouse on July 10th last.

He died on the day his colours were carried by Relaxed Zone at Dundalk on Friday, December 13th.

To the very end, P.J. was great company, a historian, a genealogist, a raconteur and, above all, a generous host. He will be missed not just by his family, but by a large circle of friends, both from the political and the sporting communities.

To his family, sons Pat, Bill and Thomas, daughter Marcia, sister Bernie our sympathy. Men such as P.J. come but once in a generation.