In Memory of Peter Wilkinson

It is with profound sadness and a deep sense of loss that Clontarf Football Club remembers and pays tribute to our friend, coach, colleague and fellow Club member, Peter Wilkinson, who sadly passed away on 22nd September 2026.

Our thoughts, prayers and deepest condolences are with Peter’s beloved wife, Carla, and their three daughters, Rubi, Sadie and Inez, who have lost a much-loved husband and father. We also extend our heartfelt sympathies to Peter’s mum and dad, Alexis and Cyril, and his wider family, friends and all those who knew and loved him.

Peter was so much more than a coach at Clontarf Football Club. He was someone who gave his time, his energy and, most importantly, himself to the Club and to the young people who were fortunate enough to play under his guidance.

His contribution to Clontarf, particularly to our girls’ teams, is impossible to measure. Peter was a coach, an advocate, a leader and a constant supporter of girls’ football. But those titles only tell part of the story. What stood out was the care he had for the players, the encouragement he gave them and the belief he had in them.

For the girls he coached, Peter was someone who could be relied upon — on the training pitch, on match day and in all the moments in between. He understood that coaching young players was about far more than football. It was about building confidence, creating friendships, teaching resilience and giving young people a place where they felt valued and part of something.

He cared deeply about the development of the girls’ game and was willing to give up a huge amount of his time and energy to help it grow. Through his involvement, Peter helped create memories and experiences that will stay with many of our young players for years to come.

For their parents and families, he was also a familiar and reassuring presence around the Club. Football clubs are built on people who volunteer, who turn up, who help out and who quietly give so much of their time to others. Peter was one of those people. His contribution may often have happened without fanfare, but its impact was significant.

That is why his passing has been felt so deeply throughout Clontarf Football Club.

There is a particular sadness in losing someone who was so closely connected to the next generation of our Club. Peter invested his time in young players and in the future of Clontarf Football Club. The legacy he leaves is therefore not simply measured in matches coached or seasons completed, but in the people he encouraged, the confidence he helped build and the positive memories he helped create.

As a Club, we can only hope that the knowledge of how highly Peter was regarded, and how many people he touched through his involvement with Clontarf, will bring some small comfort to his family in the days and weeks ahead.

Peter leaves behind an irreplaceable void. There will be an empty place on the sideline, familiar faces who will look for him at training, and many within our Club who will miss his voice, his enthusiasm, his guidance and his friendship.

But Peter’s presence will also remain in the Club.

It will be there in the girls who continue to play the game he cared so much about. It will be there in the coaches and volunteers who continue to give their time to young players. It will be there in the memories shared by those who knew him and in the stories that will undoubtedly be told for years to come.

That is perhaps the greatest tribute we can give him — to continue to build the kind of football community that Peter believed in and worked so hard to support.

At this incredibly difficult time, the entire Clontarf Football Club community stands together in support of Carla, Rubi, Sadie and Inez, and all of Peter’s family and friends.

Thank you, Peter, for everything you gave to Clontarf Football Club.

You will be deeply missed, but you will never be forgotten.

May Peter Rest in Peace.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.