O Gormaile, Maitias
March 31, 2011Mat Gormley, to use the version of his name in the second official language, would be amused that this writer could manage only a sentence or two in the language he loved before lapsing into English.
But Matt, or Maitias, was a realist and while his greetings and farewells were as Gaeilge, the main thrust of the many letters he wrote to this paper was in English, enlivened by frequent resorts to Tuam slang.
To call someone a character in Ireland is not always the compliment it appears. Often it can mean someone whose life has been a bit of a failure, usually because of drink.
Matt was a character in the best sense of the word- an individual who put his own stamp on his native place, who was known and welcomed far and wide, and was blessed with a native wit and pithy turn of phrase. As for the drink, Matt was a proud Pioneer all his life, though never a stranger to the fun of the public house.
There was genuine regret at Matt's sudden passing at the age of 73, when he was enjoying life in retirement to the full. A man of wide and varied interests, he had plenty of occupy him, and lots of contribute.
A member of a well-known local family, Matt was son of the late Seán Ó Gormaile and his wife Nora, and he often spoke with great affection of his parents, and latterly of his father, who on the death of his wife turned to the seminary and became a priest in his 60s.
Matt spent his entire working life, just short of 50 years, in his employment of the Dept of Posts and Telegraphs and then An Post. For most of that time he was postman- he did a stint behind the counter in Athenry, and worked briefly in Mullingar, but realised that what pleased him most was the interaction with people on his postal rounds, and went back to what he loved best.
It was hard to find a subject on which Maitias did not have an opinion. From hurling to horse racing, from politics to potato growing, he could always join in the discussion, and his comments were invariable laced with a sometimes cutting wit.
One of his proudest achievements was the publication of his book Are ya wide sham which was a kind of autobiography told through a series of reminiscences on life and incidents in Tuam and North Galway. The book went through several printings and resulted in a sizeable contribution to charity.
His interest in history and literature brought him to the Merriman Summer School in Co. Clare every year, ad no doubt his absence will be noted in Ennis in August.
In his younger days Matt was an active sportsman and won a county intermediate Hurling medal with Abbeyknockmoy in 1971. The following year he was instrumental in the revival of the Tuam Hurling Club, and as well as holding officerships, he represented the club in the GAA Scor competitions, winning a record 14 county competitions for his recitations. His talent was recognised further away when he won first prize at Enniscorthy Fleadh Ceoil for composing and reciting a poem in Irish. He had a good eye for a player, and he was a selector on the Tuam Minor C team that beat a highly fancied Kilbeacanty side in 1992.
When not on the sideline Matt loved to get his hands dirty in the garden, and he had a passion for growing potatoes and vegetables and bringing them to market. He cut his own turf at Cloonascragh Bog- a true traditionalist,continuing a way of life that is disappearing, though he would say due for revival, given the current financial circumstances.
He was a nationalist though without party affiliation, and an ecumenist, being a frequent attender at services in St Mary's Cathedral, having attended Mass in the Cathedral of the Assumption. He had a highly developed civic spirit and chairman of the Demesne Cottage Residents' Association and a member of the Palace Grounds Committee.
Matt married his wife Kitty in Killererin Church on June 25, 1969 and he is survived by her, their son Matthew and daughter Rose and Danny, sisters Noreen and Áine, brothers Paul and Bart, son-in-law Micheál and a wide circle of friends.
Courtesy of the Tuam Herald
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