‘Those we love don’t go away, they walk beside us everyday’
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Members of the Reilly and Quail families.Image 2 of 9
Rosin Doughty ,Martin County DSM Kells ,Micheal.Prichard Padraig Carpenter ,Peter Duffy.Image 3 of 9
Lisa Taite and Tina and grandchildren Brody and Croia.Image 4 of 9
A plaque in the rememberance garden at Kells sorting office.Image 5 of 9
Roisin Doughty and Eugene Mattimoe An Post.Image 6 of 9
Martin County DSM ,Catherine Farrell,Catherine Murphy HR Manager An Post ,Jarlath Heneghan Regional officer CWU and Peter Duffy.Image 7 of 9
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Workers at An Post’s sorting office in Kells have opened a remembrance garden.Workers at An Post's sorting office in Kells have opened a remembrance garden dedicated to the memory of four colleagues who passed away in recent years.
Catherine Farrell, a post woman from Bailieboro told how they wanted to do something to remember their colleagues but also to create a mindfulness space where workers can take five minutes to themselves or have a chat with their colleagues.
"Strong personal bonds are often formed at work and the death of two colleagues in service and two retirees in a short space of time, has had a profound effect on the group.
"Wanting to honour them in a permanent way and to do something that would benefit existing staff, we came up with the idea for an outdoor space where people could go to talk to each other over a cup of tea," she said.
Outside space at the Kells DSU is limited but they came up with the idea of converting the bike shed into a memorial garden. They added perspex sheeting to provide shelter, put down artificial grass, added flower pots and hanging baskets and put in a bench. A plaque dedicated to their late colleagues on the wall reads: "Those we love don't go away, they walk beside us everyday. Unseen, unheard but always near, still loved, still missed."
The memorial space is to remember their colleagues Hughie Reilly, Declan McCaughey, Noel Taite and Nora Quail. Hughie and Nora had retired when they passed away, but Declan and Noel were both still working, and two ceramic butterfly figures were put on the wall to remember them.
Their most recently deceased colleague Nora Quail, from Oristown, had only just passed away in June, so it was a particularly poignant occasion for her family and friends.
As well as honouring the memory of their colleagues, Catherine told how it is also a way to bring colleagues together again after Covid.
"Everyone's life is so busy these days. We wanted to bring people together. Mental health is so important, sometimes we are all so busy and it is nice to just take five minutes and say hello, and how are you to each other."
As postal workers, they all have an early start and once they have their post sorted and before heading out on their post runs, they take a few minutes around 7am to go out to the garden area.
"It is a space where we can gather together. There would be eight or nine or us most days. We bring a cup of tea or a glass of water and five minutes before heading out," explained Catherine.
The official opening of the remembrance space took place on 23rd September and was attended by family and friends of their late colleagues, as well as a representative from An Post and their CWU union.
It was an emotional and proud moment for all involved, and Catherine said it may only be a plaque, but it meant so much to the families.
The ribbon cutting was followed by a fundraising coffee morning which raised €660 for Pieta House and Catherine said they hope to hold further fundraising events for charity as a way of giving something back.