The Late Johnny Carroll The death took place at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin on September 6, of Johnny Carroll, Thomas Street, Kiltimagh. A members of a well known business family in the town, Johnny was well-liked and highly regarded in the local community and news of his death saddened his old friends and neighbours. One of a family of two boys, he was born on February 16, 1910 to John and Ellen Carroll, Main Street. Johnny lived all his life in Kiltimagh until he moved to Dublin to be near his family, and he spent his last few years as a resident in the Nazareth House Nursing Home on the Malahide Road where he got great care and attention from all the staff. He was pre-deceased by his wife Margaret in 1989, and by his only brother, Tommy in the early fifties. Although 95 years of age, Johnny was bright and alert to the very end and kept in touch with all the news of the day. He was a regular reader of the Western People, which gave him great pleasure and much to think about and to discuss with his family and friends when they came to visit. he also retained a keen interest in the GAA and followed the progress of the Kiltimagh and Mayo football teams. In his youth he was a keen sportsman and excelled at both football and handball. he won numerous medals with the local GAA Club and also wore the green and red jersey with distinction. He won a National League medal with Mayo in the thirties, of which he was very proud, and was unlucky to have missed out on an All-Ireland medal in 1936 when many felt that he should have been on that winning team. Carroll's shop was the focal point for the GAA club in those early years. It was there that the jerseys, footballs and all the other gear were stored, where match times were displayed and from where the team, including the two Carroll brothers, set out for their games on Sunday afternoons, a tradition the continued down through the years, long after he married and moved to Thomas Street. In his job, as an insurance agent, Johnny was fair and honest in his dealings with the public and gave sound advice to his potential clients who had reason to thank him in later years for their wise investments. When the Savoy Cinema opened in 1942 it was Johnny, along with the late Michael Gerard Walsh, who took charge of operations there, having been trained at the cinema in Ballinrobe. Johnny was to spend a good part of his life in charge of the projector at a time when the Savoy was the main centre of entertainment and was in a position to acquire many of the major films before they became available to other cinemas in the West. Johnny was a caring and compassionate person, a loving husband, father and grandfather, who was proud of his family and their achievements in life. He was there too for his nephews and nieces as they grew up and they knew they could depend on Uncle Johnny, to listen and to impart words of wisdom and advice whenever it was needed. Johnny Carroll loved Kiltimagh and its people and was an integral part of life in the parish over the decades. He was a man whose kind nature, common sense and wisdom was cherished by many, a man who enjoyed the simple things in life and whose deeply-held faith meant a great deal to him all through his life. He will be fondly remembered by all who had the pleasure of knowing him. Removal took place to the Church of the Holy Family and Funeral Mass was concelebrated by Fr Paddy Kilcoyne, PP, Kiltimagh and Fr Tom Burke, Knock, his long time friend. Among the large attendance was Sean Feeney, Secretary of the Mayo GAA Board, who placed the green and red flag on his coffin before it was brought on its final journey to Kilkinure Cemetery. He is survived by his sons Sean and Joseph, daughters Teresa and Nuala, grandchildren, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, nephews, nieces, relatives and friends to whom sympathy is extended. Courtesy of the Mayo News 21st September 2005 Tweet

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