Gerald (Gerry) Clarke

Breda and extended Clarke family. Condolences on the passing of Gerry. He had a wonderful life leaving behind a wonderful legacy - a legend in Irish tennis 🎾. A gentleman to the core. May he rest in peace

Sincere sympathies to Breda and family. I have many happy memories of growing up in TTC and Gerry and my Dad, Joe Murphy playing tennis together. Also Joe and Joan spent enjoyable holidays with you both.
Happy tennis memories.

Breda, please accept my deepest sympathies on the death of Gerry. What a wonderful legacy he leaves to so many people. May all the memories you have shared with Gerry help you and all your family through these difficult times. May he rest in peace.

I offer my sincere condolences to all the Clarke
family at this tine.
Gerry was a legend of Ttc and a great person to give advice to players of all ages.
“You can knock up until the cows come home, but you are not truly put to the test until you play match after match…”
His wisdom will be missed around the club and at the AGM.
RIP Champ

I’m truly sorry for your loss. Gerry’s presence meant so much to so many, and he will not be forgotten. Wishing you strength, peace, and comfort.

Sincere condolences to Peter and the rest of the Clarke family on the passing of Gerry. May he rest in peace.

so sorry to belatedly hearing of gerrys passing, an absolute gent and legend in irish tennis rip gerry.

My deepest sympathies to Breda and the family on the sad passing of Gerry. He was a true legend of Irish Tennis and a passionate advocate for Veterans Tennis in Ireland. He will be sadly missed. May he rest in peace.

Dear Breda, Julian and Peter
We were so sorry to hear of Gerry's passing. Sincere condolences to you all at this very sad time. May Gerry's gentle soul Rest in peace.

Dear Breda. Sorry to read of the death oof your husband Gerry and I wish to offer you my deepest sympathy at this time. May Gerry Rest in Peace.

Sincere sympathy to you Breda & your sons on the sad passing of Gerry. A very kind and thoughtful man who did a huge amount of work for Veterans Tennis. May he now rest in peace

I am very sorry to learn of the sad news of Gerry’s passing- he was a legend in Irish Tennis.
Sincerest sympathy to Breda and the Clarke family.

Sincere condolences to Julian and all the Clarke family on the sad passing of Gerry. Rest in peace Gerry.
Tim and Kathleen Murphy.

Condolences Julian and Family on the Passing of your Father

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam

What a legend in Irish Tennis, Gerry was so dedicated and committed to any tasks he took on. I along with many others are enjoying the very good "Advanced Masters Tennis" that he introduced some years ago. We at Templeogue are delighted to be able to field 5 veterans team this year. Gerry would be delighted to see the progress with this great competition catering for his wishes.
RIP.
Eddie English.

Gerry, I remember meeting you when I was about 10 or 11. You signed my application for TTC and that signed a pathway to my life. Ever the gentleman, and one who frustrated every young player on a tennis court as they entered the arena with cock-a-hoop confidence only to leave meekly struck down by a bandaged man!!!!

You lived your life to the last minute. May you rest in peace and enjoy your time acknowledging the many tennis greats you played over the years.

Sleep well
Pam

Farewell to a much respected colleague and a tennis legend.
Rest in Peace Gerry.

Sincere condolences to Breda and all the family at Gerry’s passing. His was certainly a life well lived and he will be fondly remembered.
After such a great innings may he rest well in peace.

Deepest sympathy to Breda and the Clarke family on the death of Gerry.
I

Sincere condolences to Peter and the Clarke family on the passing of Gerry. May he Rest in Peace.

Sincere condolences to Peter and all the Clarke family on Gerry's passing. May he rest in peace.

My deepest sympathies to Breda & the Clarke family on the passing of Gerry. A true legend in Veteran Tennis. May Gerry Rest In Peace.

Sincere condolences to Mrs Clarke, Peter, Julian and the wider Clarke family on the passing of Gerry, a remarkable man and a life truly well lived by all accounts.
Beir Bua.

Sincere condolences to all the family on Gerry’s death. He was a very kind legend in the Tennis world. May he rest in peace.

Sincere condolences to Peter and the extended Clarke family on the death of Gerry, after a full and well lived life. May he rest in peace.

Peter, my sincere condolences on the passing of your lovely Dad, RIP.

My deepest sympathies to Breda and family. Gerry was a true legend of Irish Tennis and will be fondly remembered and sadly missed by all who knew him. May he rest in peace.

Breda Deepest sympathy to you & the extended family on the death of Gerry. May his gentle soul rest in peace

Joan Litton
Templeogue

Sincere condolences to all the family and friends of Gerry .
May he rest peacefully now
He leaves a great legacy
We will remember him with fondness .
Myriam, Stephen, Claire and Christopher

Breda and family, please accept our sincere condolences on the death of Gerry. He was a complete gentleman, always a smile and a doff of his hat as we passed each other. May his gentle soul rest in peace.

Deepest sympathy to Breda and extended family on your sad loss. May his noble soul rest in peace.

Anne McCafferty
Rathcoole

Deepest sympathies to Breda, Julian, Peter and the extended family on Gerry's passing. A great neighbour, a passionate tennis advocate, a Templeogue Tennis Club stalwart and a total gentleman. What a great life he had. He will be much missed.

On behalf of Advanced Tennis Masters ATM, sincère condolences to Breda and Julian on the sad passing of Gerry. My involvement with Gerry has principally been with ATM which he founded in 2015 and has mightily prospered. Gerry’s mission was to provide competitive tennis leagues & events in à social environment to 70+ men, 75+ & 80+. In 2025
15 clubs participated fielding 28 teams and with nearly 200 involved. From its outset Gerry was the Convenor with a tech savvy notetaker needed for communications. Gerry had a clear vision of what ATM should comprise and à plan to achieve same…both highly successful. I would meet regularly with Gerry at various clubs, and across the dining room table at 21A Crannagh. Meetings would commence at 2.30, with Breda providing afternoon tea at 3.30, then further discussion and when ATM.work was complete we would discuss sporting matters. He was a great man for detail, and correct grammar, frequently noting my failings!
Unfortunately I cannot attend tomorrow as I’m in the Yucatán exploring Mayan history and culture.

Ar dheis de go raibh à anam dilis.
Michael Burler

My condolences to Breda, Peter, Julian, all Gerrys grand-children and extended family. I have great memories of Gerry - always with a smile and in good form - one of the good ones. May he rest in peace.

May Gerry rest in peace.
A very kind gentleman who treated
everyone with respect.
Pat ex Hibernian

My deepest condolences Breda and family on the death of your husband and father. Such a wonderfully long life and so well respected by the Tennis Community. May he rest peacefully. Thinking of you at this time on your very sad loss.

To Breda and the extended Clarke family, sincerest condolences to you all on Gerry's passing. He was a legend of our sport and not only as a player over many decades, but in his administrative roles in Templeogue LTC but more specifically on Veterans Tennis Ireland. The latter professionalised veterans tennis in Ireland and benefited so many of us all. Very fond memories of playing over the Halloween Bank Holiday weekends in Lansdowne LTC where Gerry was in his element, with his mischievous sense of humour and tennis gravitas.

"A tennis society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit"

Sincere condolences to Breda and the Clarke family.

Our mom, Kay Lonergan (RIP) and Gerry were a force of nature with the veteran’s and she always loved her times running the tennis events. A gentleman and a true tennis legend.

May Gerry rest in peace.

Deepest sympathies to Breda & family on the loss of your beloved Gerry. He will be fondly remembered by all in Templeogue Tennis Club. May His Gentle Soul RIP

Breda, Julian, Peter & grandchildren, an era has ended but still a shock when it happened. Gerry had a life well lived surrounded by family and friends.

Most of us knew Gerry as the “Tennis Man.” I was lucky to get to know another side of Gerry following his accident in 2023 when he ended up in rehab in Clontarf.

Gerry was a family man to the tips of his fingers, family meant more to him than any tennis.

One day I brought Breda in to visit Gerry in Clontarf, he wasn’t expecting either of us. Gerry’s face lit up when he saw Breda, he said, “you look lovely”.
In recent years, mobility issues made life difficult for them so they wrote letters to each other.

The most animated I ever saw Gerry was when he was speaking of his Grandchildren. He loved telling the story of how 3 of them travelled around Europe and ended up at a Taylor Swift concert in Spain. He would go through each of their names and ask Breda for updates about them.

Gerry and Breda had a lovely respect for each other, recently Breda said, “ I just want to sit in a room and talk to him”.

They met in the early 1950“s when Gerry was working at the gate on a dance night in TTC. 75 years later Gerry was still working for TTC. Gerry helped guide TTC through good and bad years but always his ethos was, what was best for TTC. I thank him for helping make the club the great club it is today and giving me years of enjoyment there.

I will miss you dear friend.

Sincere condolences to the Clarke family. We were very sorry to hear of Gerry’s passing. Gerry was a passionate advocate of Veterans’ tennis in Ireland. He will be missed.

Sincere condolences to Breda, Julian, Peter, and the extended family. I have many fond memories of him at Templeogue Tennis Club. Both the grass and clay courts were perfect for his drop shots and volleys. He was hugely supportive of anyone who played the game and always had an encouraging message as you came off the court. It was fantastic to see his tennis career flourish in the vets, and he was so proud to represent Ireland. May he rest in peace

Sincere condolences to Breda and family at this sad time.

My dad Jim Battelle (RIP) always spoke so highly of Gerry and thoroughly enjoyed meeting him at the various veteran’s tennis events and in more recent years for coffee in Rathfarnham. My mum Pauline sends her sympathies to you all.

May Gerry’s gentle soul rest in peace.

I was so sorry to hear of Gerry's death, having known him for so many years in the tennis world. He always had the interests of Irish tennis at heart, particularly veterans tennis. My sincerest sympathy to Breda and all his family. Mary O'Neill, Malahide LLTC

Breda and family, please accept our deepest sympathy on Gerry’s death. We always enjoyed meeting him and hearing his stories especially his tennis days at Wimbledon. Thinking of you all at this sad time.

Sincere sympathy to all the Clarke Family on the sad passing of Gerry. He was a very dedicated colleague in the Hibernian both on and off Court. RIP Gerry. Sean Hanahoe.

We were so sorry to hear of the passing of dear Gerry - our sincere condolences to you, Breda and family.

Gerry absolutely loved tennis. A pioneer of "Veteran Tennis", his contribution in this area was legendary.

His enthusiasm was infectious - making it impossible for many, nearing the end of their competitive days, to say "no" to a request that they join the ranks of the veterans. A unique person.

A true gentleman - he will be sorely missed.

May his gentle soul Rest in Peace

Sincere condolences to Breda, Julian, Peter and extended families. Mr Clarke was a real gentleman. He had a long life, well lived. May Gerry rest in peace. 🙏

Our condolences to Breda and family on the passing of Uncle Gerald, thinking of you all at this sad time.

Sincere condolences to the Clarke family on the passing of Gerry.
He was an inspiration to tennis players of all ages, particularly to veterans and
he will be missed by all; a thorough gentleman.
May Gerry rest in eternal peace.

Very saddened by this news and extend my deepest sympathies to Mrs. Clarke and family. My lovely memories of Gerry go back to Dublin League matches in the 70’s and later at the Veterans National Championships. Gerry was always friendly, welcoming and so enthusiastic. He had a genuine interest in everyone, even to always enquiring about my young son, Paul. Truly a legend. He will be missed ….

Sincere condolences to the Clarke family .Very sorry to hear of Gerry’s passing . He was an absolute gentleman . I had the privilege of playing many league matches with him, you were always aware that you were playing with a legend of the game. Apart from his extensive knowledge of the game of tennis he enjoyed discussing the menus and value for money of the restaurants in the locality.

My condolence to his family Gerry was a such a lovely person to meet and always had a smile my prayers are with his family may he rest in peace

I am very sorry to hear of Gerry’s passing. Sincere condolences to Breda, Julian and Peter. Gerry was simply a legend of Irish, Leinster and Templeogue tennis. He loved the sport, played Class 1 tennis for 5 or six decades and represented Ireland proudly. His founding of Veteran’s tennis was something that has brought great experiences to thousands of Irish tennis players. I first saw him play on the “old” clay courts at the entrance of the old Templeogue TC clubhouse in 1976, he loved those courts ! Always generous and interested in others, he was an absolute gentleman and a role model. May he rest in peace and his life celebrated.

Deepest sympathy to the extended Clarke Family on the Passing of Gerry . I met Gerry many years ago in the company of his late brother Fr Des , OCarm who I had extensive dealings with in Zimbabwe . Immediately after the War of Independence we , Cullinane Brothers & Ryan Pvt Ltd rebuilt the Carmelite Mission Stations for Fr Des , both in Chimanimani & Nyanyadzi which were looted and demolished during the hostilities . I recall attending a Family Funeral with Fr Des in Kilpedder about thirty years ago . May Gerry , Rest in Peace .
Sincerely , Ken Ryan , Dalkey

So sorry to hear of Gerry’s passing, I was so delighted to have had the opportunity to have met him and enjoyed many a conversation with him in many clubs. RIP

Condolences to the Clarke Family on Gerry's Death.

Breda and family, so sorry to hear this news about Gerry.
He was a long standing and a great asset to Templeogue Tennis Club.
My husband George, enjoyed many games of Tennis with him on Tuesday mornings. May he rest in Peace.

Breda and family very sorry to hear of Gerry’s passing, but I am sure he is now at peace. Gerry was a gentleman and a passionate advocate and driver of veterans tennis in Ireland. It was a privilege to serve as his treasurer for almost a decade and I will miss his humour, friendship and all round wisdom.

It was with great sadness, I heard of Gerrys final match. I am sure that Tennis Heaven will wellcome this tennis warrior with open arms.
Many condolences to Breda, Peter, Julian, and Chris, and the extended family, at this sad time.
I hope, and pray, that God will give you the strenght and peace to carry you through this trying time.