Scully, Roch (Rocky)
October 31, 2004
Late Roch (Rocky) Scully
Roch (Rocky) Scully's funeral cortege from his home at St. Brigid's Place, Portlaoise, to SS Peter and Paul's Church paused at 26 Main Street. Appropriately, for it was there that he worked as a barber for 54 years.
Fitting was it too that a Portlaoise jersey and flag draped his coffin, for he was a Town man to the core and had played with distinction as a minor hurler and footballer.
Rocky, as everyone called him, died at his home on Saturday October 23rd. Aged 69, he had been unwell for some time.
Parish priest Fr. John Byrne, receiving Rocky's remains in SS Peter and Paul's Church, noted that his death marked the end of a chapter in the history of Portlaoise.
A chapter that encompassed almost a century: the length of time that PJ Scully's Gentlemen's Hairdressing Salon was in business - a business that Rocky's father, Paddy Scully, established.
It drew customers not only from the town and environs, but from many parts of the country and beyond.
And it was much more than a barber shop. It was a place where the old stock, and the not so old stock gathered for a chat and the craic.
Newspapers were perused there, racing form studied, crosswords solved, GAA matches analysed, great characters recalled.
On the walls were evocative photographs of the 1915 All-Ireland winning Laois senior hurlers, of the 1949 beaten All-Ireland finalists, of the 1958 Portlaoise senior footballers.
Rocky was a genial host, with a smile for everybody, with the ability to talk to all age groups and classes. He will be sadly missed.
Following 10 o'clock Mass, his funeral took place from SS Peter and Paul's Church to SS Peter and Paul's Cemetery.
Mourning Rocky are his wife Rita; children Teresa, Jacinta, Margaret, Kathleen, John, Patrick, Peter and Roch; brothers Louis and Joe; sisters Claire, Bernie, Agnes; Teasie and Gabrielle; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, sons-in-law and daughters-in-law; grandchildren; nephews and nieces; cousins; relatives and friends.
Courtesy of the Leinster Express, October, 2004.
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