Sergeant William 'Bill' Ready from Newbrook Grove, Clonmore, Mullingar passed away on Monday, November 7th, 2016. Bill was part of the Irish Army's UN involvement in The Congo, where he was one of the heroes of the Jadotville Siege. Bill left home in Mullingar as a 19-year-old army private and was shot and wounded during the six-day Jadotville Siege in 1961, the story of which is related in a 2005 publication called 'The Battle of Jadotville', written by Mullingar man Declan Power. Bill Ready won junior and senior championship honours with The Downs and also had the distinction of refereeing a senior county final. He played minor football with Kildare and was part of the great The Downs team that won five SFCs between 1968 and '74, including the 1968-70 three-in-a-row.