On a beach in Donegal on the July 12, I received a heart-breaking call from Colm McGurk’s close friend and colleague, Big Fergal as Colly affectionately referred to him, who passed to me the saddest of news that Colm has passed away.
Fergal Rainey, Sabina Higgins, Michael D Higgins, Colm McGurk (centre), Deirdre Hargey and Harry Connolly at official opening of James Connolly Visitor Centre in April 2019. 
Shocked, I then proceeded at Fergal’s request to inform those closest to Colm from my world in Belfast, as my phone pinged with others doing the same.
That evening I flicked through some of my WhatsApp exchanges with Colm over the years and was struck by a message going back to May 2020 after he had undergone surgery.
He said in that message, tongue in cheek as ever, 'job done, take a few days to get straightened out'. That captured Colm, always facing into adversary head on and as brave as they come. Made of stronger stuff in Lavey he would often joke with me referring to his beloved Erin’s Own Club with which he was a towering figure.
I first got to know Colm when he carried out the initial conceptual design study for 374-376 Falls Road, soon to become Áras Uí Chonghaile, a visitor centre dedicated to the life and times of James Connolly.
Colm, by then was no stranger to West Belfast having played against many of our local clubs. He was extremely well known within the local GAA fraternity but in a professional context he had worked on a number of transformative projects across West Belfast including Radió Fáilte, Clonard Boxing Club and his pride and all of our joy, the award winning Áras Uí Chonghaile.
Colm was a diligent, ambitious, dedicated and creative character. His passion and inspirational work ethic shone through in the projects that he worked on and these will be his fitting legacy.
He was also ensuring the smooth delivery of the amazingly designed Roddy McCorley Heritage Centre that is due to open in September this year, as well as leading out with us on a number of other ambitious transformative projects.
Colm was a diligent, ambitious, dedicated and creative character. His passion and inspirational work ethic shone through in the projects that he worked on and these will be his fitting legacy.
I believe that in West Belfast he found a real expressive outlet for his particular approach to design and redesign that was fostered by our rich cultural, political, and artistic and heritage offering that resides across our local community.
Colm bought into our vision and shared our ambition to realise West Belfast’s true potential. He ensured that we had a world class and fitting product that would allow us to welcome the world.
I had the great privilege of joining Colm, his wife Sinéad – who was extremely proud of all of his achievements – and his ecstatic colleagues from McGurk Architects at Queen's University a few months back when he won the prestigious Liam McCormick Award at a glittering RSUA awards ceremony at Queens University.
This was the pinnacle of his professional career.
When he collected his award he stole the show. He spoke from the heart, eloquently about the life and times of James Connolly, emotionally about his grandfather's connection and role in Ireland’s revolutionary period of 1916, and indeed most fittingly he spoke proudly of his family and his team at McGurk Architects.
We will miss him greatly here in the West, as many across the country who had the pleasure to experience this truly unique character will do also.
He will off course be missed most by his wife Sinéad, his daughters Orla, Aoife and Méabh and his son John and by his wider family circle.
And let’s not forget his fifth child, as his eldest daughter Orla jokingly referred to the Liam McCormick trophy that proudly sat beside him at his wake.
A Gael, a friend and leader.
Ní bheidh a leithid arís ann.
Rest easy Colm.
Harry Connolly is the Executive Director of Fáilte Feirste Thiar, a local tourism development agency tasked with the responsibility of developing West Belfast’s tourism offering and building sustainable tourism infrastructure.
