Seamus Connaughton, who has died at the age of 82, was a much loved and respected member of the community in both Barnacarroll and Claremorris.

Following the passing of his sister Nell in December 2008, Seamus moved to Mount Crescent in Claremorris and continued to live there up until his recent illness.
Born at Ballybrehony South, close to Barnacarroll, he inherited the farm of his uncle, Jim McCormack at Bolinree, outside Claremorris. Seamus farmed there until the late
1990s, when he moved back to live at Ballybrehony South to take care of his sister Nell and brother Tommy

An accomplished footballer and musician, Seamus was a life-long member of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association (PTAA) and had a significant involvement in the development of his community and the promotion of services to his community

All through his life, he had an enormous interest in sport of all kinds. In his youth he played football with the Barnacarroll GAA Club - of which he was a founder member - and he was instrumental in the club joining Claremorris GAA Club in the early 1950s.

He was the proud custodian of memorabilia of teams he played with, such as the Barnacarroll Junior Team 1951, Claremorris Junior Team 1953 and the Claremorris Junior Champions 1960. As a player, he was described as being tough and as having a safe pair of hands either keeping goal or playing outfield. He maintained a life-long interest in Gaelic sports.

He was honoured by Claremorris GAA Club in July 2011 for his contributions and achievements on the 50th anniversary of the success of the 1960/1961 football teams.
In more recent times his sporting interests broadened to include English, Scottish and European football.
The Connaughton brothers were noted locally for their prowess at card playing and travelled to play across the south Mayo region. Poor card playing was suffered with some indifference. Seamus' own mastery of the game of 25 honed a quiet wit and an understanding that if novice card players were to be encouraged, a wish word was more
readily accepted than a harsh one.

Seamus worked tirelessly down through tough years as a member and steward of the Claremorris Agricultural Show committee and was involved in course building during the Show's golden years during the late 1960s and 1970s.

As a member of the Show's finance committee for many years, he was involved in running carnivals as well as dances in the old Isaac's Top 20 Ballroom - later in marquees and finally in the new Town Hall in Claremorris. This was a venue he would become associated with for many years, particularly in his role in the ticket office during the early days of the dance hall and show-band era.

Always very alert of mind and spirit, at the age of 80 Seamus decided it was tune to start surfing the net and have his own email account. This allowed him to maintain connections with relations at home and abroad.

Seamus had a great love for traditional and country music and was a brilliant harmonica player. When his cousin Marty McCormack from Chicago visited Ireland with is band
Switchback in recent years, Seamus contributed to at least two of the band's popular videos.

The Connaughton house was known as a great visiting house in the days when calling on friends and neighbours was an essential part of the social life of every small community
It was a house where stories were shared, family trees determined and news exchanged.
Seamus kept up that tradition when he moved to Claremorris and formed new networks of friends.

He never married and is survived by his sister Gretta (Fleming) and a fond circle of relatives. He was comforted in his last weeks by many of the friends he had made, played
with and against, and toiled with over many years. Their deep affection for him and loss at his passing was particularly telling.

Seamus was laid to rest in the family burial plot at Barnacarroll cemetery, not far from his birthplace.

May his kind and gentle soul rest in peace.

Courtesy of The Western People Tweet

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