James Boylan
James Boylan was in my year at UCD.
We were Freshers together in Engineering in 1982 / 1983. He went on to study Mechanical Engineering, while I went into Civil.
He was part of the famous family of shoe and boot makers who originated from Monaghan but lived on Killiney Hill by that stage. The family business closed in the 1990's I think. Many of us proudly wore our Boylan Boots. James used to get some teasing about this, which he shrugged off and gave better slagging back.
James was a very cheery and energetic guy. He was at the heart of our group of first year paddlers, that included Fintan Mahon (by far the best of us), Aideen Burke (who subsequently married Fintan), Ger Doherty, Carolyn Gleeson and Robert (whose second name I can't recall 30 years later). There were a few more whose names I can't recall. Most of us were in engineering, with a few in science.
The club was very small in those days, with only a few fibreglass kayaks that required constant repair, even though we only paddled easy rivers like the Liffey, Boyne, Barrow and Nore. The main thread that held us together was social, even though our parties would have been considered quite tame by later generations of UCDCC. Lack of money and transport was a constraint on our activity, but we were greatly helped by older and graduate members of the club such as Seamus O'Driscoll and Denis Dowling, who were also members of the Espoir Canoe Club based at Seapoint (since sadly defunct). The two clubs joined forces for various trips, mostly sea paddling. (Several years later when the club had the first generation of plastic kayaks, (mirages I recall, and very soft and bendy) Denis introduced us to the Dargle for the first time).
A trip I remember with James was to Graiguenamagh in December 1982 when we nearly froze to death. There was ice in the fields. None of us had wetsuits, so to swim was not a good thing, even if very hard to avoid. James was the first to go into Great Outdoors and buy a wetsuit afterward, which we all thought was highly extravagant. It was a sign of intent on his part and how much he loved paddling. No wonder he went on to become Captain a few years later, which also was recognition of his great popularity.
Another trip was to Sligo for surfing after the exams in June 1983. We hadn't a clue where the good surf spots were and ended up in Cliffony near Mullaghmore - not a great surf break as we found out. (My younger brother Niall was on this trip too, even though he hadn't even done his Inter Cert at that stage). There was consternation when it was discovered that we had no poles for the big scout tent that most of the group were to stay in. I recall James being blamed for this fiasco (whether fair or not). Typically he responded in a positive fashion and led a group into the woods to find suitable timbers for poles, which he rigged up using his engineering talent and saved the day (and night).
In later years the enthusiasm for paddling began to wane in our group as the limitations of what we could do and where we could go took its toll. The club varied in strength from year to year and was only a pale shadow of the vibrant and talented organisation it became with later generations.
After college the lack of work in Ireland drove many of our group to emigrate and we lost touch with each other. It was a great shock when we learnt of James' sudden death a few years later.
He gave more than he got, and I will always remember him fondly as the heart and soul of our little group of freshers in 1982.
- Seamus MacGearailt
