Furniture man who was member of county and town councils
OBITUARY: Danny Fitzpatrick
The funeral took place in Navan this morning of former Meath county councillor and Navan urban councillor, and retired businessman, Danny Fitzpatrick, who died in Spain, aged 87. He had been in ailing health since December last and died on Wednesday of 28th July in Torremollinos.
Mr Fitzpatrick, who was a key figure in the Navan furniture industry, and his wife, Emily, have been living in Spain for extended periods since retirement. He initially served as a Labour representative on the county council, joining Fianna Fáil in later years.
The eldest of the family of six of Garda Daniel Fitzpatrick and his wife, Eileen, of Flower Hill, he went to England to seek work as a young man, and became an air traffic controller, serving under the Allied Forces at Camp Guynemer near Fontainebleu in France. Here, he played football with an Allied Forces side.
He returned to Navan in 1959 and married Emily McGuinness from Kells, who was secretary to the then Meath county manager. Around the same time, he established DJ Fitzpatrick Furniture Manufacturers at Town View, Abbeylands, and was to open a furniture, lighting and interiors store on Flower Hill. Deciding to concentrate more on manufacturing, the retail store was sold to the late Tommy Foster, and Danny established Abbeylands Furniture Ltd, spotting a niche in the market to supply foam to the other furniture makers in Navan, becoming one of the biggest foam converting firms in the country outside of the big cities.
He had to rise to the challenge of rebuilding the firm after a fire disaster at the Abbeylands manufacturing facility in 1982.
Danny was all the while involved in civic and community work, and as a Labour councillor on the county and urban councils, at the same time enjoying family life with his wife and children, 10 in all.
His family recalls his involvement in Meals on Wheels, the senior citizens party at Navan O’Mahonys, and as a founder of the local branch of the Irish Wheelchair Association. He had a love of horse racing, and was a director of Navan Racecourse, becoming the first president of Navan Golf Club at the racecourse, not for his love of golf, but as a group of local businesspeople who came together to establish the golf club as a means of saving the racecourse, which was in trouble at the time.
He came to enjoy golf, and was also involved in Meath pool and snooker league committees.
Danny, who was also a peace commissioner, took a step back from the county council after serving two terms, but remained on the urban council for over 30 years, being elected chairman in 1988 on his 21st year there, now as a Fianna Fail councillor.
He served two years in the chair, describing them as the highlight of his political career, and retired from the council in 1998, when current deputy mayor, Cllr Tommy Reilly, was co-opted in his place by Fianna Fail.
Deciding to immerse himself fully in family life the following year, Danny retired from business, but the Fitzpatrick and Abbeylands Furniture names are still in existence in Navan today as some of his children continue the tradition.
Paying tribute on RIP.ie, former minister Noel Dempsey and his wife, Bernadette, said: "Danny was a true gentleman, a loyal friend and a great Navan man", a view echoed in many of the tributes.
One neighbour recalled: "A special memory of Danny bringing us into his house to watch the ‘68 European Cup on a new 26 inch colour TV, and summer employment for many years."
When Danny Fitzpatrick was chairman of Navan Urban Council in 1988, the death took place of Tommy Foster, a giant in the Navan furniture industry. The then council chairman’s words could easily apply to himself now, on his own passing. Tommy Foster, Danny said, was the "man in furniture in Navan in the 1970s who provided massive employment and generated a lot of business in the town."
Danny Fitzpatrick’s concerns were also always for employment and the town, in his business, political and social outlooks.
He is survived by his wife, Emily; family, Danny, Caroline, Kevin, Sandra, Pauline, Barry, Dianne, Mark, Brian and Alison; their spouses and partners; sister, Claire Dunne; brothers, Billy, Jimmy, Michael; grandchildren; great grandchildren; brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, relatives and a large circle of friends. He was predeceased by a brother, John.