Paddy Lee
Well-Known businessman who played a central role in Castleconnel life through the decades

THE PASSING of Paddy Lee from Castleconnell touched many generations. The only son of George and Mary Lee grew up in the house that is now Shannon Stores. Back then it was known as Enright's Rod & Tackle Repository.

Paddy's uncle was the famous John Enright, a three-time World Fly Casting Champion and Paddy was dab hand with the fly rod too. Due to the arrival of the ESB Shannon scheme in 1921 the level of water dropped so there wasn't as big a demand for fishing tackle as the big fish had gone. The fishing tackle shop closed in 1946 and Paddy's father went to work as a fisheries inspector.

As a boy Paddy attended the National School in Castleconnell and went later to Technical Institute in the city. And at the tender age of 20 in 1946 Paddy opened Shannon Stores and hackney service.

It grew from strength and his son George continues that family tradition today. In his hackney car, the first in the area, he would have driven emigrants to the station who were never to return. So Paddy was often their last memory of home.

A couple of years later Paddy opened the petrol station and shop at Daly's Cross, which also proved successful and is now run by his son Frank. Paddy's wife Carmel said he was a "man before his time".

The Mayo lady met Paddy when she worked as a nurse in Barrington's in 1950. Five years later they were married. They lived and worked together for the next 55 years and raised four children - George, Frank, Mary and Suzanne, Paddy and Carmel also had 12 grandchildren.

The couple worked long hours in both the shop and the hackney service, beginning every morning at 8am, working until 10pm and often late into the night if there were dances in the local hall.

Like his shops Paddy could see there was a gap in the market and expanded his hackney business to become L&N Self Drive in the 1960's. People would rent cars from him for matches and holidays. He was able to combine this with another love of his life, GAA. He was a huge Limerick and Ahane supporter. Paddy never missed a game and often drove the likes of Jackie Power, Paddy Scanlan, Mick Hickey, Timmy Ryan and John and Mick Mackey the length and breadth of the country to matches. Nothing made him producer than seeing Limerick lift the Liam McCarthey Cup aloft. For decades he never missed a hurling or football All-Ireland.
Another great love of Paddy's live was the river.

"He fished, played, swam and walked by the Shannon," said his son George. He would often stand on the foot bridge in Castleconnell watching the Shannon for a break in the water for a "ball of silver" - a salmon. A photograph of him with a 17lb salmon is one of the first things you see when you enter his home in Maple Grove
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One memorial card sent to the late Lee Family sums up how highly he was thought of in the community. The man had emigrated to England 35 years ago but when he heard Paddy Lee had died he wrote: "Paddy was a vital part of Castleconnell- as important as the church, the foot-bridge, the Worlds End, the very streets and footpaths of the village."

In a moving graveside oration Paddy's great friend Pat Tuohy recalled he brought his first car from Paddy.

"He gave me a verbal lesson. It was 'never, ever overtake unless you have a clear vision ahead'. I still remember and value it 50 years later. It was that same 'clear vision' that epitomised his life as a business and a family man," said Mr Tuohy, who recalled two occasions when petrol became very scarce resulting in long queues at filling stations.
"Those caused enormous pressures on owners of filling stations. Paddy Lee made sure that the locals never, ever, went short, sometimes getting up at 4am to fill cars," he said. Mr Tuohy described Paddy as an important part of the fabric of Castleconnell and its hinterland for almost 70 years.

"He was the heartbeat of Castleconnell. He was a shopkeeper with a vision, an entrepreneur with courage," said Mr Tuohy Paddy liked nothing better than to discuss local and world affairs in one of his shops, after mass or walking by the river with his friends.

A modest and humble man, Paddy never mentioned who or how many people he helped through out his life but they never forgot. His wake and funeral was one of the biggest ever in the locality with people travelling great distances to pay their respects. Everybody had their own fond story of Paddy and these were told long into the night. He will be missed by all who knew him.

Paddy's months mind mass takes place in Castleconnell this Friday, November 19 at 8pm.
Paddy Lee; born 1926 died 2010

Courtesy of Limerick Leader 20/11/10 Tweet

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