Obituaries

COMMUNITIES in West Clare were united in grief this week following the tragic death of a Tullyrine craftworker after an accident north of Kilkee on Sunday, writes Dan Danaher. According to a number of sources, Paul Dillon (42), Knocknagore, Kilkee, and formerly of Tullycrine, Kilrush was picking slack, a version of seagrass, on the shoreline near Farrihy Bay when he lost his footing and was swept out to sea. Sea conditions have been described as treacherous at the time due to a very heavy swell. A multi-agency search and rescue operation involving Kilkee Coast Guard, the Shannon-based Coast Guard helicopter – Rescue 115 – the Aran Islands RNLI lifeboat; National Ambulance Service and Gardaí was mounted after the alarm was raised around 2.15pm. At around 3.19pm, the casualty was located and recovered from the water by the Kilkee Coast Guard unit. The body was taken back to the Coast Guard station in Kilkee where he was formally identified by gardai …

TRIBUTES have been paid to the late Margaret Neylon following her passing at the weekend. The popular Ennis woman who lived at Gallows Hill was known to many for her dedication to the local community through her work with Ennis Tidy Towns, Ennis Community Employment Scheme, Ennis Chamber and Ennis Phoenix Twinning Board to name but a few. She will be laid to rest this Tuesday following funeral mass at Ennis Cathedral. Ennis Chamber CEO Margaret O’Brien has described the late Mrs Neylon as “irreplaceable”. “Margaret Neylon had a razor sharp intellect, and that sharp mind stayed with her throughout her hard fought battle with illness. “When she took on a task, you could expect nothing short of perfection as the end result. In my lifetime I have never worked with a more diligent, dedicated person. She was one of a rare kind,” she said. Cormac McCarthy, chairman of Ennis Tidy Towns said, “As an original founding member of Ennis …

THERE will be a number of vigils held in county Clare today and tomorrow to honour the memory of the late Ashling Murphy. The murder of the 23-year-old school teacher in Tullamore has shocked and angered the nation and thrown the focus once more on male violence towards women. Clare Champion MD John Galvin said, “We are all horrified at what happened to Ashling Murphy and we need to do something as a community to show our abhorrence of violence in all its forms.” In Ennis, on Saturday afternoon at 4pm there will be a walk/run at the Fair Green with candles to be lit at 5pm. Also tomorrow, there will be a vigil in Newmarket-on-Fergus at 4pm in O’Regan Park. At the same time in Kilkee, there will be a vigil at the Band Stand. At Kilkishen, there will be a candle bogwalk in honour of Ashling at 6pm Saturday from the School road side. This afternoon there will …

A VOTE of sympathy was expressed at the monthly meeting of the Ennis Municipal District following the passing of the late Dolly Colleran, mother of Ennis councillor Clare Colleran Molloy. The meeting was adjourned for 15 minutes as a mark of respect to the Quin resident who had moved to Clare from Mayo with her husband, the late Jack. Councillor Pat Daly described her as a “great community woman”. Councillor Mary Howard commented, “It is a very sad start to the New Year”, adding that the councillors are all thinking of Councillor Colleran Molloy. “No matter what your age, your mam is your mam, the cornerstone of every family.” Councillor Paul Murphy voiced sympathy for the entire Colleran family. Leonore O’Neill, senior executive officer, offered sympathy on behalf of the staff of the Ennis Municipal District. Mayor of Ennis, Councillor Ann Norton added, “all our thoughts and prayers are with the Colleran family. I have no doubt this is a …

A WEST Clare community was left in shock this week after a tragic car crash claimed the life of Peggy Morrissey, the mother of RTÉ sports commentator Marty Morrissey, writes Jessica Quinn. Tributes have been paid to Mrs Morrissey following her passing in the early hours of Tuesday morning in a single car collision at Annagh, Miltown Malbay. Mrs Morrissey, who was a popular member of the Mullagh community, was the sole occupant of the car. Fr Donagh O’Meara, Parish priest of St Mary’s Church in Mullagh described Mrs Morrissey as “a very giving woman. She gave enormously and was very kind to people.” Mrs Morrissey, who was in her 90s and originally from Cork, attended mass every day and will be “hugely missed” in the community, he said. “She was a fiercely independent woman and she lived right up the last. She was very engaged in life and the community. She loved people and chatting, she was great for …

BY Bríd Costello THE world of traditional music lost one of its staunchest champions with the passing of Patrick Joseph Costello earlier this month. A well-known broadcaster and musician, Pat went by almost as many names as he had passions. Known as Patrick, Paddy, Packie, P, Daddy or Grandad, depending on who he was speaking to at the time, he was a polymath whose breadth of knowledge touched a vast number of subjects ranging from mechanics and information technology to art, poetry and philosophy. And what he didn’t know, he was eager to learn. Born in 1947, in the parish of Moycarkey, County Tipperary, Pat was the firstborn child of Molly and Jerry Costello. He developed a love for music at a very early age and often reminisced about his first instrument – an upturned biscuit tin and a pair of knives. “There was always rhythm. It was never noise,” says his sister Peggy, adding their mother Molly bought Pat …

JUDITH Ironside, a woman whose voluntarism permeated through local and national organisations all her life, died peacefully at home in Spanish Point this week. Wife of the late James Ironside, a well-known vet, Judith was a person who threw herself headlong into any projects she became involved in. She was a founding member of Ennis Soroptomists, one of whose most significant achievements was to set up Caring for Carers, subsequently to become Caring for Carers Ireland, with a presence in 23 counties. Judith was a great ambassador for West Clare in a quiet way, as she attended many prestigious functions over the years. She was especially proud of Spanish Point and Miltown Malbay and was involved in several committees who shared a common goal of working to achieve major social and infrastructural improvements in the area. She was an active member of the local Church of Ireland community and was a member of the committee responsible for the €22,000 restoration …

A CLOUD of gloom hung heavily over Clare County Council this week following the sudden death of senior engineer Sean Ward. The 63-year-old Abbeyfeale native, who moved to live in Sixmilebridge after joining the council in 2001, fell ill on Saturday and died unexpectedly last Monday morning. At his funeral mass, Bishop Emeritus Willie Walsh paid tribute to the major contribution that Mr Ward made to public service and to the local community, through his musical talents with the Sixmilebridge Folk Club. Musicians from throughout the county played various pieces in his memory during a moving and emotional ceremony attended by a large number of officials from Clare County Council and other local authorities where he previously worked. An accomplished accordion and concertina player, he could play a variety of instruments, including the fiddle, tin whistle and piano. Funeral goers were told that the deceased had expressed a wish to donate all of his instruments to his beloved folk club. …