The late Peter Irwin The death took place on Friday, 28th May, 2004, at his residence, Cashel, Ayle, Westport, of Mr. Peter Irwin, aged 54 years. He died in the loving care of his family, following a long illness borne with courage, dignity and good humour. He was son of Paddy and the late Annie Irwin (nee Jennings), Cashel, and was a well-known farmer and cattle dealer. Peter was educated in Knockrooskey National School and the Christian Brothers school, Westport. His further education was with ANCO Shannon where he qualified in precision engineering.He worked in Tool and Gauge, Tubbercurry and Diamas Lapidares in Castlebar and in 1972 he worked in Cleveland, Ohio. He left Cleveland to return to Islandeady and take over the running of his family farm and this was the beginning of the happiest phase of his life. At last he was doing what he did best and loved most, farming and working with livestock. He was a regular attender at local fairs and with the introduction of cattle marts,he travelled to marts six days a week. He bought cattle all over the country for the Northern Ireland market and for shipping to other countries. During his mart visits he met and made many friends, friends who were a great support to him and his family during his long illness, regularly visiting his home in Cashel to keep him posted on all the news and happenings in the trade. Peter was a proud supporter of Fine Gael and one of the happiest days during his illness was the day Enda Kenny was elected leader of Fine Gael. Although he could not express in words the pride he felt, the smile on his face told it all. All who knew Peter knew he was a great friend and follower of Enda and a loyal party man. He was chairman of Islandeady Fine Gael Club for many years. Peter was active on the financial committee of his local GAA club and for many years before Motor Neurone Disease took his health away, he was MC for "Take your Pick" in Jack Grady's. He loved Gaelic football. With his friend Tommy Joyce he went to matches, no matter where, and one of his greatest wishes was to see "Sam " coming back to Mayo. Peter also loved the odd flutter on the horses and he enjoyed a day at the races, his favourite meetings being Ballinrobe and Galway. During his time in Tubbercurry he was a member of the cast of The Phoenix Players. He played many roles in various productions with this drama group. He enjoyed singing and his friends will remember him for his rendering of "Grace" which he requested to be sung at his Funeral Mass (Mary Friel sang this at his Mass): another favourite was "The Fields of Athenry" and many, many more. In January 2001 during a holiday in Boston the first signs of his illness were noticed. By August 2001 his worst fears were confirmed - he was diagnosed with MND. From then on, bit by bit, this devastating disease stripped him of his power of speech and it took his independence from him. In July 2002 his consultant told him he had 6 months and at best 9 months to live and it was decided that this would be his last visit to hospital. He returned to Cashel where he was cared for by his family since July 2002. Lorraine returned from the UK to help take care of her dad with Marian and Paul. This made his illness bearable as they were his sole carers and Peter was a pleasure to care for. He was completely unselfish and never demanding throughout his illness. He bore it with great dignity and a remarkable sense of humour, always loving a good laugh. With his great faith, he looked forward to Fr. Pat's regular visits and, with the praying over,they enjoyed many a laugh together. Although confined to a wheelchair and unable to speak, Peter continued to run his farm and affairs with the help of a small computer called a litewriter which became known to the family as the TALKIE. Peter would arrange for his son Paul to gather the animals into pens and then he would go out and inspect them from his wheelchair, something that gave him immense pleasure. Even though he knew it would have no direct benefits for himself, Peter readily agreed to participate in a research project designed to find a total or partial cure for Motor Neurone Disease. He regularly underwent severe tests to aid the research work involved. He kept in touch with the local and national affairs by listening to the radio and watching television. He loved TV quiz programmes, all sorts of documentaries and, of course, football. He was an avid fan of Leeds F.C. and took a lot of good natured 'slagging' from friends and supporters of other clubs over the past year as his beloved Leeds slipped down the Premier League table, eventually being relegated to Division One. Peter is deeply mourned by his wife, Marian, so Paul, daughter, Lorraine, father Paddy, Brothers Chris (Beclare) and Padraic (Breaffy), sisters, Julia Joyce (Carrowholly), Anne O'Malley (Ballinrobe), Delia Gilmore (Foxford) and Martha Dempsey (Bonniconlon); uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, neighbours, colleagues in the farming and livestock business and a wide circle of loyal friends. He was predeceased by his mother Annie and his sister, Mary Feehan (London). Family members and friends travelled from the USA, UK and various parts of Ireland, North and South, for his funeral. Removal took place from Navin's Funeral Home, Westport where thousands of people queued for hours to offer condolences to his wife and family. A funeral Guard of Honour drawn from Islandeady Fine Gael Club, Islandeady GAA Club and Livestock Dealers flanked the hearse en route to Islandeady Parish Church, where Fr. Pat Donnellan, P.P., officiated. The concelebrants of his Funeral Mass were Fr. Donnellan, Monsignor Thomas Shannon, P.P., Ballinrobe, Fr. Denis Carney, Adm., Westport, Fr. Tommy Towey, Bonniconlon and Fr. Michael Nohilly, Breaffy. The lessons were read by Peter's nieces and nephews and the gifts were brought to the altar by family members and friends. In his homily Fr. Donnellan said Peter's untimely death confronted us all with our own vulnerability and the fragile hold we have on life. There were no easy answers when faced with the mystery of prolonged illness. "A day like today triggers raw emotion in a close-knit community because Peter's passing reminds us of how quickly tragedy and prolonged illness can come to our own doors." Fr. Donnellan said it was not easy to be brave when all your senses and faculties were being stripped away from you one by one, but Peter had been the very epitome of bravery. "Rarely, under one roof, have I seen such love, courage and dignity as I witnessed in the Irwin home, in the face of great suffering, and then the calm acceptance as inevitable death drew closer. And as Peter's years on earth became months, and months became weeks, and weeks became days, his home in Cashel became a grace-filled place. We were privileged to sit by his bedside on the nights before he died. And as we prayed and cried and listened to some of his favourite music, we read scripture, verse after verse and made arrangements for his Funeral Mass as Peter slept peacefully. After all the suffering and prayers for peace of mind and the grace to cope, there was a great calmness in the end as the Angelus bell rang out and Peter breathed his last." Peter was laid to rest in Islandeady Cemetery, May his noble and generous soul have peaceful rest. Courtesy of the Mayo News June 2004 Tweet

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