The late Richie Gordon It was with great sadness that so many of us, not just from Prosperous and its hinterland but from a very wide area indeed, came together in Killybegs to lay Richie Gordon to rest. The huge attendance at both Richie's removal and funeral bore testimony to the respect with which he was held, both the former work colleagues and by the public at large. For many years Richie worked with the ESB in Allenwood, where he was a very popular member of staff with management and colleagues alike. An avid gardener, Richie spent many long and happy hours tending his garden in Blackwood, which, after his family, was certainly his pride and joy. No mean footballer in his youth, Richie lined our with Caragh and - believe it or not - Coill Dubh, when that club had a football arm in its early days. In later years he continued to take a deep interest in the game as a very loyal and knowledgeable supporter if his beloved 'Lily-whites'. A man of many parts, Richie was something of an amateur actor, making his name synonymous with the part of 'Carthalawn' the young, singing man of the road, in local productions of John B Keane 'Sive' - in Coill Dubh, Prosperous and Allen. Indeed to hear Richie striking up 'On the Road to Abbeyfeale' at the sing-songs that he loved so well in any of the local hostelries was always enough to stir the heart. Another of his party-pieces was 'Hello There Patsy Fagan' and it was fitting that Fr Charlie fastened on to a line in the chorus when speaking about Richie at his funeral in Prosperous, describing him as 'a decent Irish man'. Richie Gordon was all that and more besides. To Marie, Aidan, Kevin and Seanie; to his sister, brothers and indeed all who mourn Ritchie we convey deepest sympathy on the loss of a dear husband and father, a loving brother and a loyal friend. May the green sod of Killybegs rest lightly on him. Ar dheis De go raibh a anam siorai. Courtesy of the Leinster Leader 17 May 2007 Tweet

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