The Late Pat Swan

Pat Swan of 66 Beechwood Drive, Rathnapish, Carlow died at the local Sacred Heart Hospital on Monday 2 August, having just celebrated his 74th birthday the day before.

Pat shared his birthday on the Sunday with his two-year-old granddaughter Lily, and they blew out the candles together.

On 22 June of this year, Pat and his devoted wife, the former Maureen Mullins from Nurney, Carlow, celebrated their golden wedding anniversary.

Pat suffered a stroke 12 years ago, which deprived him of all power on the left side of his body, also leaving him wheelchair-bound. In the face of such adversity, Pat maintained a wonderfully positive attitude to life, sustained in the hope that he would get better.

Pat spent seven years at home before moving to the Sacred Heart Hospital, where he truly enjoyed the last five years of life. He was lovingly cared for by all the hospital staff.

Pat was a very determined man and an inspiration to everyone. He had deep faith, which helped shape his attitude to the cruel blow to his health.

A native of Arles, Co. Laois, Pat attended national school in Arles and Ballinabranna and later in CBS, Carlow.

Given his friendly, outgoing personality, Pat was tailor-made for a career path he chose in sales and retailing.

From an early start in Shevlin's of Tullow Street he moved to Cope's of Castlerdermot. He then worked in Corcoran's mineral company in Carlow, a firm he was proud to be part of and to where he returned in later life.

Pat moved his boundaries beyond Carlow when progressing to MNC Dublin, now BWG Foods, the people behind the Spar retailing brand. There he was awarded Salesperson of the Year in 1971.

After many years in retailing and sales, he ventured into business on his own, taking over a small shop from his father in Kennedy Street, Carlow. Back then, It was a small store with a counter service only where the shopkeeper did all the shopping for the customer.

Pat had a vision to change this to a self-service supermarket and he soon expanded the Kennedy Street outlet. His may have been the first shop in Carlow to sell cooked chicken in the late 1970's or early '80s. He strategically cooked the chickens in the font window of the shop, with the aroma reaching into the street and attracting many onlookers, as the fowl turned on the spit in the window.

Grocery retailing was in his blood, and his generous, trusting nature translated to offering his customers monthly credit. He coined the phrase "your friendly grocer" for himself.

Business became tough in the recession of the 1980s and Pat closed the shop, returning to what he knew best - selling. He returned to Corcoran's which later became United Beverages.

At first he travelled the length and breadth of Ireland selling cool pops and minerals for Corcoran's. Then he began selling Finches minerals, having a sales territory in the midlands and south east, where he was known in almost every pub and shop. If you didn't stock Finches before he arrived, you certainly did before Pat left.

Pat was also a great source of support to his younger brother Seán, when he made the decision to go into business for himself. Seán now heads up the highly successful Swan's Electrical in Carlow.

Pat's sporting passions were Gaelic games and golf. He never lost the love of his native Laois but he became a true supporter of Carlow, with a strong association with the Éire Óg club - a club his father John co-founded in 1956. He was there for the great Éire Óg run in the club football championship and even managed a television appearance with RTÉ came to Carlow in the run-up to one of the All-Ireland finals.

Golf was his greatest sporting love. He was a long-standing and loyal member of Carlow Golf Club, and members formed a guard of honour at the removal of the remains on Thursday evening to The Cathedral of the Assumption, where they were received by Fr Liam Morgan, CC AskeaBennekerry.

During his grocery years, Pat was a co-founder of the Midland Traders Golfing Society. There are wonderful stories of the annual-trip to Killarney.

He became a loyal friend of the Emerald Golf Society in New York, having hosted many tournaments in Carlow for them. Among his Emerald Golf Society friends was the late Mick Morrissey from St Mullins winner of three All-Ireland SHC medals with his adopted Wexford.

Pat loved America and visited New York, Florida, San Francisco, Monterey and Carmel, California, where he met the famous mayor of the that town- actor and film producer Clint Eastwood.

Pat had watched the Irish Open golf Championship from Killarney on Sunday hoping for a win for three-time Major winner Padraig Harrington, who finished runner-up to Ross Fisher.

Above all, Pat was a loving, caring husband to Maureen, who called on her own caring skills as a nurse when Pat was at home in Beechwood Drive. Maureen visited Pat almost every day in the Sacred Heart Hospital.

Pat's son Pádraig summed up what he meant to the family in a phrase of Pat's, which Pádraig felt fitted the occasion; "To the world you were just one, but to us, you were the world."

The beautiful music at the removal was performed by the Carlow String Quartet of Ciara Dowling, Kate Farrell, Sarah Lennon and Cathy Prendergast.

Pat's Funeral Mass was celebrated on Friday when the singing was by Michael Hennessy Sr. He was laid to rest afterwards in St Mary's cemetery.

He is survived by his wife Maureen, children Majella Harland (Carlow), John (Carlow), Paula Brophy (Dublin), Mary Purcell (Dublin) and Seán (Carlow), by his 11 grandchildren, sons-in-law, daughter-in-law, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, relatives, neighbours and host of friends. He was predeceased by his late sister Sheila Hargaden in 1994.

Courtesy of The Nationalist
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