19/3/1991 – 1/6/2022
A funeral service will be held on Tuesday the 14th of June on the Eilan at 12 noon. All friends are respectfully invited. Please wear a splash of pink for Andy. Parking will be in the field next to the Eilan. After the interment at Banchor refreshments will be provided back at the Eilan, with food and a bar, there will be a donations bucket to pay for drinks.
It is not rare for the passing of a shinty player to be marked by a significant number of sincerely felt and highly emotional tributes. However, the response to the untimely death last week of Newtonmore’s Andy “Tosh” MacKintosh has been on an unprecedented scale and quite typical of the way the shinty community reacts to help its own. There is no doubt Tosh will go down as one of the club’s finest players as a Camanachd Cup and MacTavish Cup winning captain in 2018, a winner of the prestigious Albert Smith medal as man of the match in the final two years previously in 2016, and a more than accomplished defender in the finest traditions of the club’s expertise with the caman. His athleticism and above all his commitment to the cause would have been no surprise to anyone given the distinguished lineage of which he was the latest and finest exponent, the son of a club legend Iain who himself had two very fine playing brothers, along with numerous cousins similarly talented.
None of this, of course, will make the devastating loss of such a distinguished club player and internationalist any easier to bear. For his immediate and extended family, of course, and the wider community in Newtonmore and beyond, the loss will be unimaginable and the darkness will appear to extend beyond what is bearable. His own club Newtonmore Camanachd could find no words to convey their feelings at the loss, saying that “there literally are not any words to convey our feelings at the club. Our love, prayers and every waking thought are with Megan, Marnie, Hadley, Iain, Christine, Alison, the MacKintosh family and all of Andy’s many, many friends, we send our deepest condolences to them all. The darkest of shadows has come over us as Andy’s bright light has gone from the shinty world and our community.”
Andy’s passing was the second in a week to impact on the Newtonmore club following the death of David Fallows earlier in the week. It is difficult to recall a time when the shinty community has been challenged like this in my lifetime. There is an apparently endless list of good people being taken far too soon.
The whole shinty community recognises the impact of last week’s losses will have on the families and the sympathy of everyone connected with the game is extended to all involved.
Hugh Dan MacLennan
Newtonmore captain Andy Mackintosh with the Camanchd Cup. 2018 Camanachd Cup Final, Lovat v Newtonmore, played at Mossfield, Oban.
Andy was a central figure in a hugely successful Newtonmore side that dominated shinty for a number of years. He contributed to the success of his team, his community, his sport and his country. His central role in Newtonmore Camanachd Club saw him captain his side to Camanachd Cup success in 2018. This was one of many honours in the game. The thoughts and prayers of the Camanachd Association and the entire shinty community rest with Andy’s family and all that new him.
Newtonmore Camanachd Club said “There literally aren’t any words to convey our feelings at the Club today. For now we will let these precious pictures do the talking. Our love, prayers and every waking thought are with Megan, Marnie, Hadley, Iain, Christine, Alison, the MacKintosh family and all of Andy’s many, many friends, we send our deepest condolences to them all. The darkest of shadows has been cast as Andy’s bright light has gone from us, the shinty world and our community.”