Connolly, Mary
February 02, 2012Mary attended Clonmacon national school and then attended Presentation Convent secondary school. On completion of her Leaving Certificate she began working in Paddy O'Donnell's in Rock Street, Tralee. She then moved to the other side of Tralee and began working in Vale's Bar in Boherbee in 1954 where she also lived with the Vale family for five happy years.
While in Boherbee she met Noel Connolly who would become the love of her life. As was the practice at the time, Mary gave up work after their wedding in April 1959. Mary and Noel lived in Boherbee for a short time before moving to Marian Park to care for Noel's mother Cathy.
Here they lived a happy life and were blessed with a family of twelve children and later on by eighteen grandchildren. Mary's family were her number one priority in life. Not only was she their mother but was also a great friend, a great listener an also a great giver of advice to all her children and her grandchildren. At her funeral Mass, she was described as 'the captain of the Connolly ship'.
Her door was always open. When the lads were young, and come morning time, she would often have extra children for breakfast; she was proud to call them her adopted children. Often when her sisters called with their families, a dinner was produced from them at a minute's notice.
Mary had many great sayings but the one she instilled in all her family was that "you'll catch more files with honey than with vinegar", meaning that being nicer to people would yield far greater results.
She loved family events and nothing gave her more joy then to have all of the family gathered around her. Mary's final family gathering was on the 18th December for their annual Kris Kringle family lunch and present-giving which always took place on the Sunday before Christmas Day.
Through her husband Noel she found an interest in the greyhounds and in her younger years was a regular attendee of the Tralee track. When the Noel Connolly trained Black Rock won the Irish Cup in Clounanna in 1985, there was not a prouder woman in the country.
Another passion of Mary's was the John Mitchel's club. She loved to tell the younger people in the club that she attended her first Mitchel's social in the Meadowlands Hotel in 1954 and attended their recent social in 2011 in Ballygarry House Hotel. Since the 1980's, when Noel was the club chairman, and in later years when he served as an officer of the club, Mary could be found catering for the campsite during the Festival of Kerry, helping out in the club bar, washing jerseys or just doing whatever was needed at a particular time. She was a regular attendee of football matches and did not look out of place at the club juvenile blitz in July or at a senior teams match in December.
Mary also loved knitting- whether it was school uniform, jumpers when the children were young, the red and white collars from the coursing in September or matinee jackets for her grandchildren or for friends. As soon as Mary heard of a new or impending arrival, the needles were out and a new work of art was produced.
Mary's most recent interest was her laptop. With this she discovered the internet and became a member of Facebook where she kept in regular contact with relatives in Australia and with friends in other far off countries.
Mary was a woman of great faith and had a special devotion to the Sacred Heart; her family would call on her to say a special novena in times of need like Leaving Cert or driving tests. She had her special times to say her prayers during the day and 'phone calls were always ignored during these times.
Most of all Mary was a patient, kind, understanding, humble woman who loved the simple things in life.
At Mary's removal from the McElligott Funeral Home and at the Funeral Mass, the affection in which she was held was evident from the large crowd in attendance. The guard of honour at both the removal and the burial was provided by the John Mitchel's GAA Club.
Mary was predeceased by her husband Noel on 1st November 2000. She will forever fondly remembered, and will be sadly missed by her children Micheál, Catherine (Keating, Limerick), Anne, Mary Jo, Claire, Liam, Brendan, Kieran, Declan, Martina (Flynn, Keel), Norma (Purtill) and Lorraine, her grandchildren, her great-grandchildren, her sisters Anne, Kit and Josie, her best friend Eilish, her sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, nieces, nephews, brother-in-law, relatives, neighbours and many friends.
Mary's month's mind Mass will take place on Saturday 4th February, in Kerry General Hospital at 8.15pm
May she rest in peace.
Courtesy of Kerry's Eye
2nd February 2012 Tweet
