Robert "Robbie" McCallion (9 August 1979 – 7 April 2009) was an Irish
Gaelic football
Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by ki ...
er. He played for
Swinford
Swinford () is a town in County Mayo, Ireland. It is surrounded by a number of smaller villages, including Midfield and Meelick. It is just off the N5 road, located 18 km (11 mi) from Ireland West Airport Knock (formerly known as ...
and the senior and under-21
Mayo county teams.
[
McCallion played for his local club Swinford and was part of their teams from the under-10 grade and upwards.][ He was part of the Swinford minor team which won every match it played in 1997.][ He won the Mayo Intermediate Football Championship with Swinford in 1999.][
McCallion's family included numerous members of the Garda Síochána, including a parent, brother, uncles and a cousin. He initially worked with Corrib Oil but joined the Gardaí on 7 February 2005.] He was killed while serving as a member of the Garda Síochána; initially injured in Letterkenny
Letterkenny ( ga, Leitir Ceanainn , meaning 'hillside of the O'Cannons'), nicknamed 'the Cathedral Town', is the largest and most populous town in County Donegal, a county in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. Letterkenny lies on the ...
on 26 March 2009, he was brought to Beaumont Hospital, Dublin
Beaumont Hospital ( ga, Ospidéal Beaumont) is a large teaching hospital located in Beaumont, Dublin, Ireland. It is managed by RCSI Hospitals - one of the hospital groups established by the Health Service Executive. Its academic partner is ...
, where he died less than two weeks later. He was afforded a state funeral. A memorial stone in his honour is located in Bernard McGlinchey Town Park in Letterkenny. Robert McCallion Memorial Park in Swinford, County Mayo
Swinford () is a town in County Mayo, Ireland. It is surrounded by a number of smaller villages, including Midfield and Meelick. It is just off the N5 road, located 18 km (11 mi) from Ireland West Airport Knock (formerly known as K ...
, is named after him. A number of Gaelic football matches have been played in his honour, including one in 2016.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCallion, Robbie
1979 births
2009 deaths
Garda Síochána officers killed in the line of duty
History of Letterkenny
Mayo inter-county Gaelic footballers
Swinford Gaelic footballers
2009 murders in the Republic of Ireland
People from Swinford, County Mayo