Aidan McAleese, BA, PGCE (died 30 July 2021, aged 51)
Obituary provided by Aidan’s brother, Peter
Aidan McAleese of Crumlin, County Antrim (formerly The Moy, County Tyrone) passed away on 30 July 2021 after a short illness.
Aidan was an undergraduate at Queen’s University Belfast between 1988 and 1992, which included a year out at the University of Toulouse.
Graduating with a BA in Business Administration and French in July 1992, Aidan went on to complete a PGCE at Queen’s before taking up a teaching post in French at St Genevieve's High School in Belfast where he went on to become head of the Business Studies & Tourism department. The outpouring of grief and genuine affection by past and present pupils and colleagues following his untimely death are testimony to the high esteem in which he was held at St Genevieve's.
An avid sports fan, Aidan played golf and as a supporter loved both Soccer and Gaelic football. He was a lifelong fan of Tottenham Hotspur and made regular trips to White Hart Lane. As a member of his native GAA Club, Moy Tír na nÓg, he was proud of having coached the club’s U-16 footballers to league and championship county titles in 1994. Sadly, he didn’t live to see his beloved County Tyrone win their fourth All-Ireland Senior Football Championship title in September 2021.
Those who knew and loved him, including the numerous friends he made while at Queen's, will remember how Aidan’s positivity, sense of humour and zest for life in general were infectious. Many an occasion was lit up by his presence.
Aidan was laid to rest in St James' Cemetery, Aldergrove and is survived by his wife Anne, daughters Anna and Éirinn, mother May, sisters Maria and Patricia, and brother Peter.
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