Tributes have been sent from far and wide following the passing of Mark ‘Maxi’ Kavanagh on Friday evening. Dundalk is famed for it’s large array of larger than life characters and Maxi was one of the biggest. His love for his town and especially the town’s football club was unrivalled and his positivity and good nature left their mark on many people around Dundalk as was witnessed by the outpouring of messages and stories following his death.
Maxi was probably best known for his love of Dundalk FC and his standing amongst the club’s supporters was shown on Friday night in Oriel Park by the Shedside Army ahead of the Bohemians game, who unfurled a massive banner which read ‘Maxi, Dundalk Loves You More Than You Will Know’. Tragically, as the game finished, word quickly filtered around the ground that Maxi had passed away in the Lourdes hospital having been in intensive care for over a week.
Condolences were offered not just from Dundalk supporters and people from the town but also from supporters from other clubs who sent their love to the man who didn’t believe in rivalries. Stories emerged of all the help he had given to various people in town down through the years including visiting the elderly in hospital to raise their spirits, helping out with local charities including Save Our Homeless and SOSAD as well as helping the Irish Football Transplant Team to raise money to help them play in an overseas tournament.
Maxi’s love for Dundalk FC was legendary and he was there for the good times but more importantly he was always there during the bad days, those of which included the early days of 2012 when the club’s very future was in jeopardy. A group of loyal supporters including Maxi teamed up to organise numerous fundraisers to help keep the club alive under the banner of Save Our Club. Dean Arrowsmith, a former kit man and Club Promotion Officer with Dundalk FC was in the trenches with Maxi back in those dark days and he recalls a generous, enthusiastic hard working man who refused to let his home club die.
“Myself and Maxi got to know each other very well in 2012 which was obviously a very rough time to be a Dundalk FC supporter with the club almost going out of business. Through the Save Our Club initiative, myself and Maxi got very close and we were coming up with ideas together for various fundraisers to save Dundalk Football Club.
“It was testament to someone like Maxi that he done what he could to support local people by having the Tommy McConville XI made up of all local players. He was just a really really great fella and over the years through all Dundalk’s success since I moved out to Chicago, Maxi was always one of the first people to reach out and we’d talk about the title wins and the great European nights under Stephen Kenny and he’d remind me that I had been a part of helping to save the club and helping ensure nights like that were possible. He was always very generous like that.
“It’s a tragic loss and obviously my thoughts are with his family. He’s going to be very sorely missed because he was with me for the good times, the bad times and he was always there when tragedy hit my family and he always reached out to check up on me so I’m absolutely devastated that he’s no longer around and I hope he gets the send off that he deserves,” stated Dean.
Maxi’s funeral will take place at the Holy Redeemer Church tomorrow (Thursday) at 1pm. Following the service, the funeral procession will fittingly pass by Oriel Park on the way to St Patrick’s Cemetary for burial. Anybody who knew Maxi is invited back to Oriel Park after the burial for refreshments and to share stories of one of Dundalk’s favourite sons. Mark will be sadly missed by his daughters, Shannon, Dearbhla and Cayla, grandchildren Bréa and Dannan, mother Angela, late father Seán, sister Sandra, brothers Gerard, Seán, Michael, Darren and the late Caroline and Andrew.
He will be so missed by his heartbroken daughters, grandchildren, mother, sisters, brothers, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, extended family and friends.
