Darcy, Paddy
October 29, 2013Paddy, who had been in failing health for some time, was the last surviving son of James (Jim) and the former Ellen (nee Hayden) Darcy. Although small of stature, Paddy Darcy was a tenacious and talented right-half-back for both club and county. As a teenager, he won a Carlow junior football championship medal with Tinryland in 1953, playing at midfield and partnered by the late Sean Delaney.
Paddy played for Carlow at senior level in 1961 and '62 and lined out at right-half-back in the National Football League semi-final of 1961-62, in which Carlow lost narrowly to reigning All-Ireland champions Down. On that day in Croker 51 years ago, Paddy was marking the legendary Paddy Doherty and held the great Down marksman to a single point from play. Paddy Darcy was in no way overawed by the Ballykinlar star's reputation.
Although he never won an SFC medal with Tinryland in more than a decade of loyal service, Paddy did win a senior league medal with the blue and white hoops in 1961 when they defeated great rivals Eire Og in the final. He retired from the game around 1963.
He served as a senior football selector with Tinryland during the mid-to-late 70s; the Darcy family were staunch Tinryland clubmen. Paddy's late brother Eddie won a Carlow SFC medal with the club in 1948, while another brother Joe (also deceased) was a long-serving Tinryland GFC treasurer during the 1950s and early 60s.
Paddy was raised with his seven siblings in a two-bedroomed cottage, which formed part of the Kilmeaney House estate. His father Jim was a skilled carpenter. The Darcys generated their own electricity at the family home via a wood-wind turbine (one of the wooden vanes still remains at the home). This was at a time before Carlow town or the local area was serviced by electricity.
The Darcy family was ahead of its time, having motor transport and a motorbike sidecar - which Paddy's father made - when others in the area had none. They also made their own wet batteries and charged them from the locality's wind turbine when battery power first came on stream.
The Darcys wouldn't do things unless they were done correctly, always striving to find ways to improve things and make them easier. Tinryland was very important to Paddy. He bought the family home, which was a run-down cottage, many years before marrying. He spent his evenings and weekends renovating the house before marrying and moving into it.
Just like on the football field, he was tenacious and hard-working - character traits that defined this talented man.
Paddy was married to the former Clare Moore from Ballickmoyler, Co Laois. They wed on 23 August 1972 in the Church of the Sacred Heart, Arles. The Darcys had four children, three girls and a boy.
Having first worked in the shop at Governey's boot factory in Carlow, Paddy joined the ESB and went on to give 40 years of loyal service, climbing the promotion ladder and retiring as line supervisor in the Kilkenny District, having served in Portlaoise and Carlow earlier in his working career.
Among the most significant projects in which Paddy was involved were the installation of high-tension power lines in Rhode power station, Co Offaly and at the ESB's Turlough Hill hydro-electric station in Co Wicklow. He availed of early retirement from the ESB in 1997.
An avid gardener, Paddy always kept a fine vegetable garden at Kilmeaney, while he was always busy planting trees and shrubs, perennials and annuals.
Paddy was waked on Friday at Healy's Funeral Home, Pollerton Castle, before removal that evening to St Joseph's Church, Tinryland, where his remains were received by Fr Liam Morgan, CC, Askea-Bennekerry-Tinryland. The reading at the receival was by Paddy's son Jimmy.
Members of Tinryland GFC formed a guard of honour at the removal of the remains and a blue and white Tinryland jersey was placed on the coffin. Fr Morgan celebrated Paddy's funeral mass on Saturday morning, assisted by Fr John McEvoy, former parish priest of Tinryland, who is the current parish priest in Paulstown-Goresbridge. In a homily during mass, Fr Morgan paid tribute to the life of Paddy Darcy.
The readings at mass were by Paddy's daughter Trish and his first cousin Pat Hayden. Prayers of the Faithful were recited by his sister-in-law Kathleen Browne, his friend Maureen Byrne, and by nephews and nieces.
The Offertory gifts were brought to the altar by daughters Anne and Gina. The hymns during mass were sung by the Tinryland Parish Choir.
At the end of mass, Paddy's son-in-law Florian Hauck read the Seamus Heaney poem 'Digging' in a tribute to Paddy's gardening skills, and particularly his passion for digging. Despite faltering health, Paddy continued to work in the garden. And all last summer he defied the medics by spending time in the garden digging, preparing and tilling the soil for sowing a new lawn.
After mass, Paddy was laid to rest in the Darcy family plot at the adjoining cemetery. He is mourned by his wife Claire, children Jimmy (Dublin), daughters Anne Darcy-Hauck (Kilmeaney), Trish Darcy (Kilmeaney) and Gina Carroll (Bunclody, Co Wexford), sister Kathleen (Glendale Nursing Home, Tullow), grandchildren Hannah, Mia, Hayley and Noah, sons-in-law Florian and Des, sisters-in-law Kathleen, Peggy, Nancy, Breda and Jean, by other relatives, neighbours and friends.
Paddy was predeceased by his brothers Joe, Jim, Johnny, Billy and Eddie, as well as his sisters Molly and Theresa.
A minute's silence was observed in his memory before the start of the Eire Og/Tinryland Carlow U16 FC 'A' final at Dr Cullen Park on Saturday 19 October, the day on which Paddy was laid to rest.
The Nationalist, 29th October, 2013 Tweet
