The Late Richard Condon "And when my time on Earth is through, will they face this world without me, the love I gave them in the past, will it be enough to last it tomorrow never comes." Words from the song by Garth Brooks, but also a fitting epitaph for one of the greatest family men of our time. Knowing Richie as I did, those words would near enough reflect some of his last thoughts. Richard Condon Snr of 1 Clonmel Road, Callan, was to me the quintessential family man, en octogenarian, known affectionately as "The Gentle Giant". Richie passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving wife Maisie and his seven adoring children. Richie was born in the 1920's and had lived a full and active life up until recently when his health began to fail. Nevertheless his passing came without much warning. In his later years when time allowed, Richie had a great interest in gardening, coupled with his lifelong love of sport. Richie had played no small part in the growth of Callan Soccer Club, was an active member of the John Lockes GAA Club in the late 60s and early 70s and also helped form the now defunct Prologue GAA club. Richie was an ardent follower of the Black and Amber and very rarely missed a game in the last 60 years. He always made sure to remind us of how easy it was for us to travel to games, compared to the days they had travelled to matches by cycling. He got great satisfaction out of watching all the Kilkenny players but being a Callan man John Power and Mick Kenny were two of his heroes, along with his brother-in-law, Mick Brophy, who along with Kenny won the 1957 All-Ireland. However all of those days were surpassed when in 1969 his son Tony played in goal for the Kilkenny Minor team against Cork. I believe that family life is one of the hardest vocations of all because in family life we are asked to give up our selfishness for the sake of others. Richie did that for over 50 years for his wife and children and later his grandchildren. Richie met and married Maisie Brophy in the 1940s, and they went on to have seven children, four sons and three daughters. Through Richie's hard graft and Maisie's great homemaking they made No 1 Clonmel Road a wonderful place to live. I would never say that Richie was perfect because that would be ignoring the human frailties that we all have. However I do believe that Richie attained perfection as a family man and was a shining example to us all. Richie was a great believer in God and was loyal to a fault, never wavering in his faith, no matter what life threw at him. Richie always stood by his beliefs and the teachings of Christ. May Richie be rewarded by the promise made to him to those teachings and may his family go forth and show that the love he gave them in the past will be enough to last, forever. Thank you Richie for the love you showed my children and all your grandchildren. Your love was truly evergreen. May heaven be your bed Richie, May God's light shine on you always, As yours shone on us for so long. Until we meet again my friend may that "warm snow" help you to sleep well. Noelie Courtesy of the Kilkenny People December 2002 Tweet

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