House fire claims three lives

THE funeral is being held this Friday morning of Ennis man, Michael Glynn and his wife and daughter who died tragically in a fire in their New Jersey home in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Michael, 49, a native of Clonroad and a former Éire Óg hurler, his wife, Heather and six-year-old daughter, Tara, were found dead in their suburban home in Toms River, New Jersey, when firefighters entered the property.
Michael’s brother, John, who still lives in Ennis, is in Bayonne, New Jersey, for the funeral.
“It’s such a shock. I last spoke to Michael at Christmas and hadn’t seen him for a few years,” he said.
“We had intended to see each other soon but we had kind of put it on the long finger. I can’t believe that my brother would die in such a tragic way. I never thought that the next time I’d go to New Jersey would be to bury him.”
The Toms River Fire Bureau confirmed that the cause of the fire was accidental and has ruled out a criminal investigation into the blaze.
New Jersey media reports state that neighbours called the fire service when they awoke to see the house on fire early on Saturday morning. When firefighters entered the house, they found Michael on the floor near the front door. His wife and daughter were found upstairs. All three were pronounced dead at the scene.
Michael was a past pupil of the Boy’s National School in Ennis and Ennis Vocational School. He had been in the US since the 1980s when he went there to work and stayed after he met his wife, Heather. He had been working in the paper mills industry, while Heather had been a stay-at-home-mother in recent years.
The Glynn family are well known in Clare for their bus business, which John’s uncle runs.
Family friend, Ennis councillor Pat Daly, said the news had come as an “awful shock”. He said that “Hooper”, as Michael was known in hurling circles, was “a great character” and a “fine hurler”.
John recalled how his brother had a brush with death as a very young boy.
“When he was only about three, he was playing, as many children did in those days on the railway tracks in Ennis, when he was knocked down by a train. He was in a coma for three days and apparently our parents, Christy and Frankie, thought he wouldn’t pull through, but then he just woke up and started looking for his shoes. I have very fond memories of him and will miss him terribly,” he added.
A memorial mass for Michael and his family is due to be held in Ennis Cathedral on Easter Monday.
He is survived by his brothers in Ennis, John and Paul, and his sisters Edel (Kilrush), Mary (Cork) and Ruth (Switzerland).