Obituaries 1st March 2014
Francis Ward, Kells
A talented footballer in his youth and a dedicated farmer and family man was lost with the passing of Francis Ward, Rosmeen, Kells, on 29th January last.
Aged 66, he died peacefully at home following an illness, surrounded by his family.
The Gaeil Colmcille clubman held a number of senior championship football medals, and was on the Meath panel which took part in the 1970 All-Ireland senior football final against Kerry.
A native of Rosmeen, Kells, he was son of the late Phil and Margaret (Norris) Ward, and attended the Christian Brothers Schools in Kells. Brought up in a farming tradition, he took over the family farm and expanded and developed it over the years.
His footballing career began as a young lad, playing underage with a local combination of clubs around Kells which won an under-14 championship in 1961. He played under-16 the following year, and in 1963, played in the corner back position in a minor final against De Le Salles, at the age of 16. He was on the minor championship winning team of 1965.
At the age of 19, he played in a senior county final against Kilbride in 1966, which took three games to decide an outcome in favour of Gaeil Colmcille, and was on their winning side against Walterstown in 1968, the same year he graduated to the county team, playing in the National League. He took over from Bertie Cunningham in the corner back position with Meath for a period. A farming injury curtailed his footballing career somewhat, and he was on the 1970 panel, as well as playing at Wembley Stadium with the Meath team in 1971. He played up until the 1980s with Kells, gathering a number of league titles.
When a hurling club was formed in Kells in 1967, Francis Ward was also a part of that, and took junior championship honours in 1970; intermediate in 1974; and junior again in 1980, as well as an intermediate in 1981 with a local amalgamation. His brother, Paddy, also played alongside him on many teams.
Farming, family, football and faith were the themes of Francis’s funeral Mass. Married to Frances, he took a keen interest in the activities of all his children, supporting their swimming, basketball, footballing and tetrathlon interests, while at the same time managing a substantial dairy farm. He was a quiet, unassuming man, with a deep faith.
Francis is survived by his wife, Frances; family, Nollaig, Sinead, Blathnaid, Deirdre and Philip; brother Paddy, Dunshaughlin; in-laws, aunts, nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.
The funeral took place from St Colmcille’s Church, Kells, to St Colmcille’s Cemetery. Guards of honour were provided by local GAA clubs.
Kathleen Smith, Kells
There was widespread shock and sadness following the unexpected death of Kathleen Smith, Rathmore Lodge, Barfordstown, Kells, on 28th January last, at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin.
Kathleen (nee Grimes) was a native of Drumbaragh, Kells, and was wife of the late George Smith, formerly of the Meath Chronicle, who passed away in December 2011, and mother of the late Derry who passed away in September 2012. She was a dedicated wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend.
Kathleen loved the outdoors and this she pursued in her love of golf. She was lady captain at Headfort Golf Club in 2009. She also loved following GAA and horse racing. A keen gardener, she took great pride in working in her garden. She was also a staunch follower of her grandchildren’s football and hurling team, Clann na nGael, Athboy, seldom missing a game. Kathleen was a well known past staff member of Kells Credit Union. She had a very strong faith and attended Mass daily. Both Kathleen and George loved to travel, especially on golfing trips abroad and they also loved travelling to America to visit their son, Derry. When Derry passed away suddenly in New York in September 2012, a huge void was left in Kathleen’s life.
Predeceased by George; son, Derry; and brother, Matt; Kathleen is survived by her sons, Fergal and Matthew; daughters-in-law, Hilary and Fiona; grandchildren, Ruairí, Kate, Cormac and Biranna; brother, Paddy, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, relatives and a large circle of friends.
The funeral took place from St Colmcille’s Church, Kells, to St Colmcille’s Cemetery.
Seamus Doyle, Ballivor and Trim
The sudden passing of Seamus Doyle, De Granville Court, Trim, on 8th February last, having taken ill, was the source of widespread shock and sadness.
Aged 60 and a native of Ballivor, he attended national school there and received his second level education at the Vocational School in Athboy.
He always had great love for cars, and it was no great surprise that his chosen profession was a mechanic. He served his time at Smithfield Motors in Dublin and in 1976 after qualifying in that field he took up a position as a fitter with Tara Mines, and had been working there for over 38 years.
He was known as ‘Luigi’ by all his workmates. He had become a father figure to all who worked with him on his crew.
Seamus had a great love for GAA, particularly for Ballivor and Meath. In his younger days he excelled in the playing field, winning under-14, under-16 and under-21 championships with Ballivor. He was a great supporter of Meath and rarely missed a match. Meath, in his eyes, were always contenders for the All-Ireland. He would adjourn after Meath’s home matches for a few quite drinks and the banter to his local ub in Trim, Marcies.
He took a keen interest in horse-racing and enjoyed having a flutter at Galway and Listowel race meetings. Seamus was a quite spoken dapper individual, liked by everyone who knew him. Although his life has been cut short, he packed a great deal into it and enjoyed it to the full.
He is survived by his wife, Louise; son, Stephen; daughter, Kate; brothers, Maurice, Fintan, Padraic and Colum; sisters, Olive and Mel, brothers-in-law; sisters-in-law; relatives, friends, and will also be missed by his work colleagues at Tara Mines.
The funeral took place from St Patrick’s Church, Trim, to St Loman’s Cemetery.
Fintan McCabe, Carrickmacross
THE untimely death took place of Fintan McCabe, Tonaneave, Magheracloone, Carrickmacross and late of Ballina, Co Mayo in St Vincent’s Hospital, Dublin on 8th February last, following a very short illness, aged 42.
There was widespread shock at the news of Fintan’s death in his native South Monaghan and his adopted County Mayo and also among his wider circle of friends and relations in Australia. Fintan and his wife Vanessa had only just returned from there before Christmas to settle permanently in Ballina.
Fintan was a very well known and popular person. He was a fitter/turner by trade having served his time with Gypsum Industries in Kingscourt. He was educated at Drumgossat NS, Magheracloone, Carrickmacross and at Inver College, Carrickmacross and later at the University of Limerick where he also qualified as a procurements manager. He also worked for a number of years in Hewlett Packard in Leixlip and at Abbot Laboratories in Sligo before emigrating to Australia in 2005 where he was to remain for eight years working mainly in the printing technology industry.
Fintan was a very outgoing and friendly person with a great sense of fun. He had many interests but followed in a McCabe family tradition with his great love of Irish traditional music and song. He played the accordion, guitar, tin whistle and drums and was well known in Irish traditional music circles in which, above all, he enjoyed the craic. During his years in Australia, Fintan always returned to Ireland for the annual Fleadh Cheoil which he enjoyed immensely. He enjoyed reading and followed international rugby and club and inter-county Gaelic football as well as many outdoor pursuits including skiing and walking.
Fintan is survived by his wife, Vanessa; parents, Brian and Philomena, Tonaneave, Magheracloone, Carrickmacross; brothers, Dermot, Tonaneave, Bernard, Dublin, Eddie, New York, and Shane, Dublin; sisters, Helen, Dublin, Rosemary, Killala, Eugenia, Cavan, and Michelle, Tonaneave; mother-in-law, Una; father-in-law John; sister-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, cousins, relatives and a very wide circle of friends both in Ireland and Australia.
Masses took place at Peter and Paul’s Church, Magheracloone, Carrickmacross and in St Muredach’s Cathedral, Ballina. Burial took place on Fintan’s birthday in Leigue Cemetery, Ballina.
Celine Maguire, Kells and Monaghan
Celine Maguire, Killygoan, Co Monaghan, who died on 4th February last at St Columcille’s Nursing Home, Kells, was a native of St Columba’s Terrace, Kells.
Daughter of the late John and Masie Maguire, Celine went to England at 16 years of age and worked in various jobs in Ipswich, with her last place of employment being the John Lewis Department Store. She returned to Ireland in the 1980s, joining her sister, Josephine, where she enjoyed her retirement until moving to St Colmcille’s Nursing Home, where she was well cared for until her death.
She is survived by her sisters, Gretta Hickie, Wales, Annie Heffron, Clongill, Donaghpatrick, Navan, and Josephine Potts, Monaghan; brother-in-law, Tommy Potts; nieces; nephews; relatives and friends. The funeral took place from St Colmcille’s Church, Kells to St Colmcille’s Cemetery.
Ellen Nagle, Oldcastle and Dublin
The regretted death occurred of Ellen (Elsie) Nagle, Niall Street, North Circular Road, Dublin, on 24th January last, aged 99 years. She died peacefully at Elm Green Nursing Home, Castleknock, Dublin. Ellen was a native of Baltrasna, Oldcastle. As a young girl she played camogie for her county and won some medals. In her later years she was very involved in her Old Folks Club where she organised outings and bingo games. She led a very full life after being widowed at a very young age.
The chief mourners were Dolores McCormack, Glasnevin, Dermot Nagle, Blackhorse Avenue, and Olivia Murphy, Artane.
The funeral took place from the Church of the Holy Family, Aughrim Street, Dublin to Deansgrange Cemetery.
Mary Rogers, Kells
There was great sadness following the death in Kells at the age of 101 of Mary Rogers, Suffolk Street, on 21st January last. Born Mary Rogers at Rathmaiden, Slane, on 11th August 1912, she had her early education in the same area and then went to secondary education in Gortnor Abbey in Mayo. When she left school, she became a member of an Order of Religious Sisters in Hammersmith in London where she remained until the early 1930s.
She left then and looked after her father, who had been a contemporary of the late Francis Ledwidge and worked with him in a copper mine in Beauparc. After this, she worked in various houses around the country in Dublin and Mullingar looking after children, arriving in Kells in the late 1940s. Here, she married Jimmy Rogers, a local bread man and spent the rest of her life in Kells. She was well known for her exceptional compassionate and caring nature both for her fellow human beings and also for her four-legged friends. She looked after her mother at her house at Suffolk Street, Kells and nursed her in her last illness. She also in due course looked after her brothers, James (Ruff) Russell and Patrick Russell. In addition, Charlie Geraghty who had worked with her late husband, Jimmy in the bakery in Kells also came to live and spent his later years there being looked after and was able to spend his remaining years in Kells which he had known all his life. She was predeceased by her husband, whom she affectionately called ‘Bim’, in 1976. Mary always found room and a berth in her home for any stray dogs or cats who would turn up and none were ever turned away.
Deceased was born four months after the sinking of the Titanic, and was two years old when the First World War broke out, and as a young child lived through the 1916 Rising took place, and later experienced both the independence and civil war struggles. She was in London during the time of the Great Crash, and then experienced the World War II and ‘the Emergency’. Her interests were wide and expansive. She loved reading, baking and knitting. She liked a small flutter on the horses and loved all sports especially soccer. She had a great affection for Manchester United. On her 100th birthday she received a card and a letter from Sir Alex Ferguson. She loved reading particularly detective stories, Agatha Christie, Dick Francis, and PD James. She loved her paper each day and particularly got great enjoyment from crosswords.
Mary Rogers lived in a great street surrounded by neighbours and friends and was cherished by all her neighbours and loved by the community. She is survived by her son, Paddy; daughter-in-law, Pamela; grandchildren, Kate and Clare Rogers; and long-time friend, Martina Higgins (nee Farrell). The funeral took place from St Colmcille’s Church, Kells, to St Colmcille’s Cemetery.
John Wiseman, Kiltale
The sudden death occurred on Friday 14th February last of John Wiseman, Walterstown, Dunsany, who was vice-chairman of the Scurlogstown Olympiad organisation. He passed away at Our Lady’s Hospital, Navan. A year ago, he was one of those honoured by the Scurlogstown Olympaid group at its annual testimonial dinner.
Born to a mix of Cork and Kerry blood (his father Jack was a native of Donaghmore, Co Cork; his mother was from Waterville), John was the eldest of four children and was originally from Warrenstown, Kilcock. The family later moved to Issacstown, Summerhill. He was educated in Dangan school and the Christian Brothers School, Trim.
In 1957, the family moved to Pike Corner, just off the Trim-Dublin road, where he worked all his life as a dairy farmer.
John will be remembered as a very gregarious person, immersing himself in local culture and farm organisations. He was a founder member of Kiltale Macra na Feirme and its first chairman. He later became chairman of the county executive. One of his treasured memories is of being a member of a Meath Cross Country Quiz team that appeared on television. They were narrowly beaten in the Leinster Final by Dublin who went on to win the All Ireland. In later years, he acted as chairman and secretary of Kiltale IFA and represented the branch at county level for several years. He was a founder member of Kiltale Community Council, acting as chairman and secretary on different occasions.
In the summer of 1968, the local lads practised football in the area, when the goalposts were two coats at each end of the pitch and the dressing rooms were the big whitethorn bushes on the nearby hedge.
John was an active member of Bective Gaelic Football Club at this time. The local community had decided to stage an Olympiad Festival and build a folk park at the mill. John led his team to the mill yard to answer the call for help and the rest is history.
John Wiseman was described as an inspiring leader at Scurlogstown Olympiad through the years. He represented the organisation at the World Scythe Cutting Festival in Bavaria. His favourite past time was listening to Irish music and song and table quizzes,and he was a member of Meath Writers’ Circle and Singing Club.
His Scurlogstown Olympiad Testimonial stated: 'Many a man leaves his mark on a community through his endeavours in one particular field but it can truly be said that John Wiseman left a lasting mark on every single accomplishment. Much varied and much beloved, he is truly a man for all seasons – the cream of the crock and the flower of the crop.'
Deceased, who was predeceased by his sister, Joan Creggy, is survived by his brothers, David and Con; sisters-in-law, nephew, nieces, relatives and many friends.
The funeral took place from the Church of The Assumption, Kiltale, to the adjoining cemetery.