The game of lawn bowls may be considered a minority sport in this country but one could be forgiven for thinking otherwise as hundreds of bowlers from North and South converged on St Therese's Church, Mount Merrion, on the October holiday weekend to pay tribute to the late Jack Burke. Jack died unexpectedly while recuperating from a hip operation on the evening of Thursday, October 22nd.
In recent years Jack had not enjoyed the best of health but he always appeared to bounce back. In many ways he was a survivor who preferred to get on with the job in hand rather than talk about his own personal pain or discomfort.
Born on June 14th, 1922 at Blackrock, Co Dublin, Jack was destined to spend most of his life in south Co Dublin. In fact, he spent most of his married life in Mount Merrion where he and his beloved wife Pat (nee Wright) raised their three sons, Peter, Kevin and Rory. He was educated by the Christian Brothers at Westland Row and found his first job in the ironmongery department of O'Hara's, builders' providers, in nearby Lincoln Place.
In later years he developed an intimate knowledge of the building trade, particularly in the area of roofing, heading up Rucon Ltd and later working as a consultant with Vulcanite of Belfast. During the Emergency he was a Lieutenant in the LDF.
Sport was to play a major role in Jack's life. He played Gaelic games at school but moved on to play hockey with Railway Union, badminton with Clarinda and tennis with Blackrock (Green Road), where he and his deceased brothers Denis and Maurice and his surviving brother Jim did much to promote social events. He was a founding member of Blackrock Athletic Club.
Jack was an active member of Woodbrook Golf Club for 45 years, serving the club as captain and in almost every capacity except that of president. His love affair with lawn bowls began in 1944 when he began playing with Blackrock Bowling Club. His career with Blackrock was short-lived but he returned to the game in the late 1960s with the Gas Company Bowling Club at Knockrabo.
Moving to Leinster in 1975, Jack became a member of what was then a very successful first team. With his Leinster colleagues Harry Pedreschi (Skip) and Michael Holland he won the Bowling League of Ireland Triples Championship in 1986. It was at Leinster that Jack first became involved in the administrative side of lawn bowls. He was president of the Bowling League of Ireland in the 1981 season, president of the Irish Bowling Association (1985) and president of BIBC (1996). However, it was as honorary secretary of BLI for the past 16 years that Jack will be best remembered. The time, energy and enthusiasm that he gave to his duties as secretary went far beyond what anybody might consider the reasonable call of duty.
In his private life Jack was above all a solid Christian and a devoted husband, father and grandfather who loved nothing better than having his family around him. I knew him as a man of deep faith and frequent practice who down through the years had served his local parish in Mount Merrion with great generosity of spirit. He was a member of the first parish council and together with his wife Pat and the boys he was involved in the more mundane and workaday tasks in the parish up until his untimely death.
In his working life and as a bowling administrator Jack was respected by friend and foe alike as a man of integrity and honesty who played it fair and who never shirked responsibility in a quest for popularity. He will be sadly missed within the bowling community in Britain and Ireland. Others will undoubtedly follow in his footsteps and fill the positions which he filled so ably over so many years. Within his own family he will never be replaced and those who loved and cherished him will sadly miss his love, his wisdom and that winning smile which was so reassuring always.
May Pat, his wife, and their sons Peter, Kevin and Rory and their families, together with his sister and brother be comforted at this very sad time in their lives. Death may have come unexpectedly to Jack but it did not find him unprepared.
May his good and gentle soul rest in peace.
E.McC., CP