Joe Daly and Stephen Roche at the opening of the new shop in June 2008. Photo courtesy of Paul Tansey.

An era has come to an end in Dundrum with the passing of Joe Daly after a brief illness. The 89 year old bike shop owner has been in business there since 1951 and has helped many people who have taken to cycling, either as a sport or a mode of transportation.

Joe Daly has long had a link with the Orwell Wheelers club and in the late 90’s he sold Stephen Roche an important bike. “I got a number of bikes when I was young, but my first real racing bike was from Joe,” said Roche today. “It was a Raleigh 753, and I used that in the Ras in 1978 [which he won].”

Roche paid tribute to Daly, saying that he was very sad to hear of his passing. He described him as ‘a monument’ and someone with a huge passion for cycling. He revealed that he had hoped to fly back to Ireland in order to speak to him once more. However he heard of his passing yesterday prior to being able to travel.

Daly was well past the age of retirement but continued to lead a busy life. He kept working in his shop alongside his son Dave Tansey, remaining in the bike business for a staggering 59 years, and was both welcoming and helpful to his customer. He was also the Lord Mayor of Dundrum.

He was married for 50 years to his late wife Kathleen, and is survived by his sons and daughters Paul, Bernadette, Francis, Catherine, David and Claire.

His removal will be held tomorrow evening (Wednesday) from Fanagans Funeral Home in Dundrum to the nearby Church of the Holy Cross, Dundrum, arriving at 5.30 pm. His funeral mass will start at 11am on Thursday, going to Shanganagh Cemetery afterwards.

We at Irishcycling.com would like to extend our condolences to Joe’s family and friends. May he rest in peace.

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