The Late Brendan Mangan On Monday 7th January, Killorglin locals learnt of the sudden passing of Brendan Mangan of Lower Bridge Street following a brain haemorrhage. Over the last two to three years, Brendan found himself in a spiral of ill health that took him, his family and friends by surprise. As someone who had run eight marathons, I suppose we thought that he would keep running forever. Born in 1936 in Dromin, Brendan the third of nine children. He was raised on a farm and as a teenager he got his first job in Crowleys in Killorglin. An avid hurler and footballer, he played for Laune Rangers and then moved to Dublin when he was twenty where he was twenty where he worked in Clerys. There he cycled 16 miles a day and most Sundays he played a hurling match in the morning and a football match with Kickhams in the afternoon. This was a trait that was a characterise Brendan's life- whatever he took on he gave it everything and usually excelled. For example, when he moved back to Kerry aged 26 and married Mary he took up golf in March and three months later won the Dooks Captain's prize - a very rare achievement. Within a few years Brendan's golf handicap was down to 4 and golf - in particular Dooks became a major passion in his life. He was elected president of Dooks in 1969 and captain in 1970. In 1992 he scored the course record in Dooks by going around in 4 under par. But by 1979 Brendan was ready for new challenges and began running back at the track in Killorglin. He then decided to take running more seriously and over the next ten years, Brendan ran eight Dublin City marathons, his last in a time of under three and half hours. When he gave up running, he took up cycling and an enjoyable Sunday for Brendan became cycling 110 miles around the Ring of Kerry with Mary, in 1990 they cycled from Dublin to Belfast and back. So Many personal achievements take special qualities, dedication, passion and commitment. Brendan had these qualities in abundance and used them to build up a very successful business over forty years. But Brendan's biggest achievement was that more than anything he was a family man. His other qualities were a loving nature, generosity and loyalty and he was a wonderful father to his four children, grandfather to six grandchildren, husband, brother and friend who has left a life's worth of treasured memories. May he rest in peace. Courtesy of the the Kerry's Eye 17th /1/ 2008 Tweet

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