The Late Michael O'Sullivan Born in Burnham, Dingle, Kerry in the heart of the Gaeltacht 1915 Michael departed this life aged 92 on October 26 after a long, healthy and eventual life. He was described by all as honest, hard working and a gentleman. Michael was a fluent Irish speaker. In fact it could be said that he learned English as a second language. He was eldest of a large family and by the tender age of seventeen Mick had achieved much. A footballer with Dingle and Munster junior medal winner with his native Kerry. He also held a county high jump medal. Michael may well have played senior football with Kerry only for his departure to England to earn a living working on the building sites of Wimpy and McAlpine. There he would work through the war years in London and Northern England. At that time he met his future wife Catherine Hannaway, who had befriended his sister Mollie. Catherines parents hailed from Tyrone and settled in Middlesborough, Cleveland. The war years were difficult for both of them as they coped with the German blitz of London. Food rationing and endangerment of life were part of everyday life. In McAlpine Contractors Michael rose through the ranks to be a foreman. In 1958 Michael and his wife and son returned to Ireland and even then he found he would have to return to England to pay for his new farming life. In Kilrush Michael and Catherine spent their lives as dairy farmers. Catherine passing to her eternal rest in 1997. They had been married for 51 years. Michael too retired, but always held onto a few sheep and hens. "You can't beat a country egg" he'd say. Noted for his strength a neighbour remarked how at the age of 71 Mick, as he was known, could single handedly hold a year and a half bullock to the ground. Above all Michael will be known for his sayings. "Never a drinking man". Even in retirement he never drank more than a glass and a short. "Dead horse in every race" having worked in England among many races of people he found good and bad in every walk of life. "Nobody's perfect" and if you accept that you will be alot more tolerant. "We'll be trouble coming and going. His answer to living a long life was simple. Think young, if someone in the parish passed away at the ripe old age of 80 Michael's answer was simple, they died young. But his real answer to long life was "hard work never killed anyone". He loved young people. He liked to greet them in Irish, even while in Regional Hospital in his final weeks he came upon a doctor from Pakistan and greeted him with the line 'Conas a ta tu?' Michael will be sadly missed by his son Michael, Peg his daughter-in-law, grandchildren Gary, Susie and Sarah. Dee and Sajjid his sister Kathleen in Kildare and her family, his brother Joe in Dublin and his large family. Danny in Chicago, Paddy in Cheltenham. Nephews and nieces in Kerry, Pallasgreen, New York, Galway and his native Kerry and a wonderful circle of friends. His funeral Mass occurred the same day as his wife's anniversary. It was as if she called him home. Courtesy of the Limerick Leader 5 January 2008 Tweet

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