Dan Grant, right, was the man widely credited with introducing Sean Kelly to the world of cycling. Kelly would later end up marrying his daughter Linda, centre.
By Brian Canty
The cycling community in Carrick-on-Suir and indeed from across the country will gather in the town over coming days to pay its last respects to the man credited with introducing Sean Kelly to cycling.
Dan Grant passed away peacefully at the age of 85 years on Tuesday.
While he would become Kelly’s father-in-law when the former world No 1 married his daughter Linda Grant; the first role Dan played in Kelly’s life was to nurture the talent that so often made him unbeatable.
Along with the late Tony Ryan, they were two of the founding members of the Carrick Wheelers Road Club.
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And as soon as he saw Kelly ride, Dan knew he was witnessing something special.
“I could tell immediately that Sean would go places, he was clearly one of the best young athletes I’d ever seen,” he told a local newspaper some years ago.
Dan convinced Kelly’s father, Jack, to relieve his son of farm work on Sundays so he could race and it wasn’t long before Kelly began to win.
“Keep him on the farm if you want but make sure he gets out to the race on Sundays anyway,” was Dan's way of getting the teenager to the start-line.
More often than not, Kelly would win and it was Dan who would be the one taking the young pretender to races; though barely a word world be spoken by the notoriously shy young Kelly on the journey.
“I’m not exaggerating when I say no more than 20 words would pass his lips on the journey from Carrick to Dublin and home,” Dan said years later.
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He was many things in his professional working life. He spent time on a farm; ploughing fields and milking cows. He also worked in a local factory as well as owning a bike shop in Carrick.
When Kelly married Linda Grant, Dan and wife Bridie became Kelly’s parents in law and grandparents to twins Nigel and Stacey.
Kelly’s performances on the bike took the family, with Dan at its centre, all over the world to watch him race in the glory days.
But it wasn’t only that the gang from Carrick went to the international pro scene; Kelly was such a key figure that the scene came to Carrick, and not only for the Nissan International Classic.
The pros and top Irish amateurs descended on the town for the annual Christmas hamper race.
And as father-in-law of the star turn and a prominent local cycling figure in his own right, Dan was at the centre of promoting the race.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.
Funeral arrangements
Reposing at O’Dwyer’s Funeral Parlour, Carrick-on-Suir, tomorrow - Friday - between 5pm and 7pm.
Funeral Mass on Saturday is scheduled for 11am in St Molleren's Church, Carrickbeg, with burial afterwards in St Mary's Cemetery.
You can access more information by following this link.
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