Obituaries 10-11-2012

Tommy Murray, Trim The sudden death of Tommy Murray, Summerhill Road, Trim, on Saturday morning last, is a major loss to literary and local history circles in the county and beyond. The award-winning poet, who was 81, was also an avid collector of local history, publishing numerous works on subjects from around the county, and gathering photographs, memories and tales from people across Meath. He was also a tutor in adult and children's writing classes, and ran the Meath Writers Circle in his native Trim. He had a passion and love for his native town and county, its people and places. Mr Murray was winner of numerous awards for short stories and poems, with his work appearing both in Ireland and abroad. His poetry provided much of the background for the UTV documentary 'Valley of the Kings', and also appeared on RTE's nationwide. His awards for literature included the Gerard Manly Hopkins Certificate of Merit, the Patrick Kavanagh Memorial Certificate of Merit, the Nora Fahy Award, the Drogheda Mental Health Short Story first prize, and the Tom O'Shea Trophy in Swords in 2004. A runner-up in the Bard of Armagh contest, he was short listed many times in the Strokestown Political Satire competition and won the Poet of Fingall competition on a number of occasions. Poetry collections included 'Something Beginning with Spring', his first collection published in 1989, with an introduction by John B. Keane, 'Once on Tara's Plain' (1994), Counting Stained Glass Windows. (Lapwing, Belfast 2009), 'Famine Trilogy' (Varsity, 2011) based on the long poem of the same name, and 'Swimming with Dolphins' (Lapwing Belfast, 2012). As leader of Meath VEC's Adult Education Writers Circle, Mr Murray edited five volumes of work, as well as publishing eight books of his own, many based on personalities or sites around Trim. These included: 'Memorable Meath Views', 'Stella's Cottage', 'Where Was Wellington Born?', 'Once on Tara's Plain', 'The Boyne' and 'Trim - Looking Back', 'With the Boyne Through Trim' in 2010, a nostalgic stroll through 20th century Trim. Following the success of 'Voices of Trim', published by Nonsuch, he embarked on a bigger project, 'Meath Voices, in which he collected stories about characters, landmarks, occupations, events, sport and leisure and country lore around the county. He had most recently been ready to publish a book on ghost stories from around the county. When he started work on Meath Voices, which was published in 2006, he said time wasn't on his side, as rampant development around the county was obliterating all traces of the past. Robinstown and Kilmessan were expanding. Summerhill, Dunshaughlin and Duleek were extending their boundaries weekly, while Navan, Trim, Ashbourne, Athboy and Kells were losing some of their old buildings at an alarming rate. But with his large private collection of old photographs and postcards of the county, and ability to gather lively prose, he published an entertaining memoir of a Meath slowly disappearing. Some of his books were illustrated by his great friend, Harold Rayfus, who passed away in August. During the early 1980s, Mr Murray contributed a regular column to the Farmers Journal and the Farmers Monthly, and his stories have appeared in Ireland's Own. He contributed the weekly 'Tatler' column to Noel French's Trim newsletter, Focus, always trying to stir controversy. Tommy Murray was working right to the end. He had finished a column for this week's Focus. He was due to give a children's writing class in Trim library on Saturday morning when he took ill, and was also preparing for the launch of another collection of stories and poems from his junior writers group in Navan Library next week. As well as his written published work, Mr Murray participated in a recording for the Irish Life and Lore County Meath Collection, recalling bygone times in Trim, which is available for download on South Dublin Libraries' digital archive. Deceased was born in Trim in 1931, one of two sons of a sergeant major in the Irish army, 'The Soldier Murray'. His father's family was from the Rathnally area, where they had worked as groomsmen with the Darcy Thompsons. The young Tommy attended the Model School around the time it became the Christian Brothers, and left school as a young teenager, a decision he admitted he later regretted. However, he began taking part in evening classes, and continued with adult education. Early work included Spicer's Bakery, helping the breadmen on delivery rounds, when he got to know a great deal of the countryside as they delivered door to door. Later working life was at Trimproof, and as a caretaker with the local VEC school. Mr Murray is survived by his wife, Josephine; family, Anne, Bernadette, Elizabeth, Joan and Carmel; grandchildren, Raymond, Rachel, Tommy, Ryan, Sarah, Sarah Jo, Ruth and Aine; great-granddaughter, Aoife; brother, Kevin; stepmother, Maureen; step-brothers and step-sisters; sons-in-law; sisters-in-law; extended family and friends. The funeral took place yesterday (Tuesday) from St Patrick's Church, Trim, to St Loman's Cemetery. _____________________________________________________ Sean Coffey, Navan There was widespread sadness following the death of Mr Sean Coffey at his home at Boreen Keel, Navan, on 19th October last. Late of Ardbraccan, Navan, he was a retired car salesman, and had worked in many of the well known dealerships around the county, including Smyth's on Cannon Row, Malones, McCabes of Ardee and latterly, Navan Ford. In his earlier years, he had worked in CIE Broadstone, and in Hilliard's of Navan. Mr Coffey was one of those paid tribute to by Navan O'Mahony's captain, Mark Brennan, when he lifted the Keegan Cup following the county senior championship win over Wolfe Tones, and later in the evening at the O'Mahony's Clubhouse, by trainer Davy Nelson, last Sunday week. Deceased was assistant treasurer at the club and was involved in the lotto committee at O'Mahonys for many years. He had played with Martry for a number of years and helped them to a junior county football championship title in 1964. His early football was with the De La Salles, and he was a member of the Meath Vocational Schools All-Ireland winning team in 1956. He is survived by his partner, Iris; sons, Martin, Dermot and Seamus, all Navan; daughter, Shauna, Ardbraccan; sister, Margaret, Mountnugent, Cavan; daughters-in-law, son-in-law, brother-in-law, grandchildren, nephews, nieces, cousins and a large circle of friends. The funeral took place from St Mary's Church to St Mary's Cemetery, Navan and a month's memory Mass will take place on Sunday, 25th November, at 1pm in St Mary's Navan. ___________________________________________________________ Jean McCarthy, Westmeath The death occurred on Monday of last week, at Hazel Hall Nursing Home, Clane, Co Kildare, of Mrs Jean McCarthy, (nee Fetherstonhaugh), formerly of Bracklyn, Co Westmeath, Kilcarn and Kilmessan, wife of the late Captain James McCarthy. When living at Old Bridge House overlooking the river Boyne at Kilcarn, she was very involved in the Save Kilcarn Bridge campaign. Mrs McCarthy passed away on her 93rd birthday. A decade ago, she published a family memoir, 'The Last Laugh', a fleeting trip through her life in Dublin, England, Westmeath and Meath, where she then lived at Swainstown in Kilmessan. She set out to record her memories moreso as a family record than anything, but was encouraged to put them together in book form so that others could enjoy them. Born in Dublin in 1919, shortly after the death of her soldier father in an accident on a railway crossing in Cork, she and her mother went to live with her Granny Dove, sister of Lord Ashcombe, in Blackrock. The family decided to return to England, and the Blackrock House was bought for Eamon deValera who was on the run from the British forces at the time. Her maternal grandfather was William Dove, a Scotsman who lived at Kilcarn for a period, where Pat O'Kelly now runs a stud. Deceased grew up in middle class fashion at the time, with a house full of indoor and outdoor staff near Ludlow, including a governess, later attending boarding school, then the 'London Season' and being presented at Buckingham Palace, and working as an ambulance driver during the War. Marriage to armyman James McCarthy followed and the death of her grandfather Fetherstonagh in Bracklyn, Co Westmeath, saw them inherit the substantial farm at Bracklyn, where they went into Pedigree Friesians and for a period ran a shop in Mullingar called the Bracklyn Dairy Company. Her children didn't appreciate the portraits of their ancestors in Bracklyn, and used them as dartboards, she recalled. She remembered hunting, shooting, horse shows and hunt balls during that period, before the death of her husband following a heart attack on St Valentine's Day 1974. Among her later interests was horseracing, and she was a member of the syndicate which owned successful racehorse Mysilv. Jean touched on many more topics in her memoir which her children and grandchildren will no doubt cherish as both a family record and a reflection on a society much different than theirs that their grandmother grew up in. She is survived by her family, Peter, David, Anthony and Meriel, grandchildren and great grandchildren. A burial service took place at St Etchen's Church, Killucan, Co Westmeath on Saturday last. ________________________________________________________ Christina Hosey, Enfield There was widespread sadness following the death of Mrs Christina Hosey (nee Geoghegan), Dublin Road, Enfield, who passed away at Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown, on 10th October last. A native of Enfield, Mrs Hosey (87) lived there until she suffered a stroke in 2007. Since then, she had been resident in Silver Birch Nursing Home, Blanchardstown, where she continued to have a sense of humour and enjoy a chat, a sing song and the company of her ward mates. Her faith was very important to her and she prayed the Rosary daily for all members of her family. She often longed for the freedom of the fields and nature but at the same time never complained. Prior to her illness, she was always available to meet people and pass on her cure for shingles. Mrs Hosey wrote poetry and her granddaughter, Clare, read her poem 'A Mother' at her funeral, which was very fitting. She was predeceased by her first husband, Michael Keogh, in 1960, and her second husband, Michael Hosey, in 1991. Deceased is survived by her sons Michael Keogh, Australia, and James Keogh, Johnstownbridge, Enfield; daughters, Mary Robberts, New Zealand, Chris Rhatigan, Longford, Anne Cole, Kinnegad, Julie McGrath, Turin, Mullingar, and Betty Walsh, Enfield, as well as 17 grandchildren and three great grandchildren. The funeral Mass, which took place in the Church of the Assumption, Jordanstown, on Saturday 13th October, was celebrated by Fr Michael Whittaker, Fr Sean Fay, Fr Timothy and Fr Tom Gilroy, Kinnegad. ________________________________________________________ Joe Flannery, Navan There was great sadness at the recent death of Mr Joe Flannery, The Beeches, Alexander Reid, Navan at the age of 57 at Our Lady's Hospice, Harolds Cross. A native of Banagher, Co Offaly, Joe had been a financial accountant with Wellman International from 1976 until this year. He won numerous underage county hurling titles with St Rynagh's Hurling Club, Banagher and in 1973 won a colleges hurling title with Presentation College, Birr. He played on the Offaly Minor hurling team and in 1976, he played with the Offaly under-21 hurling team. Deceased was a member of Walterstown GAA Club and was treasurer from 1998 to 2000, during the period of the Walterstown/Skryne house draw. He was also a member of Navan Golf Club and held a number of positions including handicap secretary in 2005 and competition secretary in 2006. He was treasurer of the club from 2007 until his death. He is survived by his wife, Veron; son, Ross; and daughters, Finola and Clíodhna. His funeral mass took place in The Church of the Nativity, Johnstown and the burial afterwards took place to Old Kilcarne Cemetery. ________________________________________________________ Terrie Gorman, Kilmessan The death of Ms Terrie Gorman, Marshallstown, Kilmessan, on 17th October last, was the source of considerable sadness across a wide area. Aged 86, she passed away at St Joseph's Hospital, Trim. Deceased hailed from a large well-known family in Kilmessan, and was pre-deceased by her parents, Christopher and Bridget; sisters, Kathleen and Peggy; and brothers John, Kevin, Finian, Paddy, Brian, and Christopher. In her early life she hoped to follow her sister, Peggy, into the nursing profession, but was dealt a blow to achieving her ambition due to health problems. Undeterred by the setback she got on with her life, without any resentment, and helped her parents and brother, Brian, at home with the family farm. She was also a renowned community activist in Kilmessan, helping to set up a community base in the parish in the form of the local parish hall, and being part of various groups, most notably the parish choir. She was also heavily involved in local drama groups, and had a great passion for card playing, and with her vast knowledge of general affairs of interest both national, and international, she and her good friend Paddy Maguire would always be the first two names nominated to represent the Kilmessan group in various inter parish quizzes that were a very popular pastime in the 1960s, '70s and early 1980s. A great source of pride was when she was part of a group that set up a bridge card playing club in Kilmessan in the late seventies, and thereafter be a part of various successes achieved in competition, especially against more experienced opponents. The funeral took place from the Church of the Nativity, Kilmessan, to the adjoining cemetery, and a large crowd attended both the funeral Mass, burial and removal the previous evening to the church from St Joseph's Hospital, Trim, celebrated by Fr Terry Toner, PP. Terrie Gorman is survived by her sister, Mary; nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, and a wide circle of neighbours, and friends. _______________________________________________________ Ellen T Kenny, Cortown and USA The death occurred last week in Forest Lake, Minnesota, of Ellen T Kenny (nee Kerrigan), formerly of Rodstown, Kells, and Cloghbrack, Clonbur, County Galway. Aged 86, she passed away 30th October, and is survived by her family, Tom and Sherrie, John and Dawn, Mark and Lisa, Kevin and Donna, and Maureen and Mark Sneep; 12 grandchildren; five great grandchildren; goddaughter Maureen Kucera-Walsh; brother, Mark Kerrigan; sister, Marie Boyle of New York; nieces and nephews in Ireland and America. She was predeceased by her husband, John, in 2005; and sister and brothers in Ireland, Bridget O'Malley, John Kerrigan and Thomas Kerrigan. Mass of Christian Burial took place on Saturday last, 3rd November, at the Church of St Peter, Forest Lake, with interment in Roselawn Cemetery, Roseville. ______________________________________________________ Noel Power, Dunsany and Navan A month's memory Mass for the late Noel Power, Navan and formerly of Old Road, Dunsany, takes place on Sunday next at 9.30am in Dunsany. Deceased passed away some short months after his sister, Marie Fitzsimons, Grangebective. His funeral took place from Dunsany Church to St Mary's Cemetery, Navan, following a wake at the residence of his sister, Sylvia Duffy, Skryne. Both the deceased, as well as their brother, Michael, and mother, Una, will be remembered in Sunday's Mass. He is survived by his father, Michael, Beauparc; brother, Geoff, Dunshaughlin; sister, Sylvia, Skryne; in-laws, nephews, nieces, relatives and friends.