Henry, Gabriel
July 12, 2006
The late Gabriel Henry
The unexpected death of Gabriel Henry (Dublin, Ballydavid, Loughrea and formerly of Glantavrane, Kilkelly, Co Mayo) on Friday May 26, 2006, while under the care of the doctors and nurses of the University Hospital Galway, was a shock to his family, relatives and a large circle of friends and business associates. He was predeceased three years ago by his brother Dr Padraig Fidelis.
As a youngster he attended Cloonamna NS in the parish of Kilmovee where his paternal grandparents, and in particular, his grandmother had taught with distinction. He subsequently attended Trarane NS before going on to Gormanstown College in Co Meath, where, though small of stature, he took up hurling and became in time a very nifty forward. On one occasion he played for the college in Casement Park, Belfast. Though his team lost the match, he managed to score a point, which was duly in a footnote by one of the dailies next day! A close friend of his in the college at the time was Liam Slattery, a young Tipperary student and a powerful hurler, who is currently a Franciscan bishop in Zimbabwe. His late mother on that occasion had sent him a n new sports jacket, pants and pocket money for the trip to Belfast, all the way from Berkshire in England. She was delighted with his hurling skills. He was excellent at analysing a match (football or hurling) and had an uncanny sense of what changes should be made during the heat of a difficult game, a rare enough quality even amongst managers.
Whenever Mayo was playing, whether in Castlebar or Croke Park he spoke little during play and usually smoked incessantly or it watching a close encounter on television, like the U-21e final between Cork and Mayo, he could walk out to relieve the tension.
He loved country music and dancing and in his younger days was well acquainted with many of the show bands and dance halls right across Mayo. In his late teems he used to drive a Morris Minor to dances in Sinolane and Charlestown, the car full with friends and some of them standing on the running board! The Gardai weren't so strict in those days. He had leaned to drive before his legs could barley reach the pedals with his dad at his side, who once said of him that he could turn a car on a plate. He himself played the drums and was well acquainted with members of the Riviera Show band, having attended the removal of the remains in Dublin some months ago of the late Shay Cribben. He often played the guitar and occasionally played it quietly on his own even in recent years.
As a father he was very fond of his children Caitriona whose love for hoses he shared. He was proud of Paul studying pharmacy, doing what he always wanted to do. Brian, he admired for his Gaelic football skills and was delighted that he still plays senior for Whitehall Colm Cile's Club in Dublin and was proud too of his computer skills, He often spoke of Colm's relaxed, friendly and easy-going manner. To Grainne, who lost her father some years ago, he was always a father figure. One person whose memory he often recalled was his maternal grandmother, the mother of Dominick Cafferky; who lived in Carrowbeg. "Is goire cabhair' De ba an doras" - God's help is nearer than the door, was a saying of hers. Her stories were wonderful, and when ever they visited, and they loved to do, she would have fresh home made currant cake or treacle cake or Kimberly biscuits hidden away for them; nice things to eat being something of rarity in those days.
He loved his work as he enjoyed the company of people an had a great sense of humour. He was immensely experienced as he had pursued his career over many years both in England and Ireland (Armstrong, Teeside; Hugh & Co Ltd) and was highly regarded by his business associates, many of whom visited him in hospital or came to Ballydavid in the days following his death or came from many parts of Ireland and England to the funeral in Glann Church to say a last farewell. There are many other anecdotes one could relate about Gabriel that his family, friends and business acquaintances could recall to lighten the sadness of his unexpected call the great beyond. He liked a poem composed by his brother Padraig, in Texas, just a few months before his also unexpected death in April, 2003. He would like also that the memory of his beautiful sister Mgt Mary Henry-Walsham, who died in Leicestershire in 1990, be recalled. From his childhood home in Glann there was a great view westwards in to the distance. The parks of Croagh Patrick (the Reek) was visible on a clear day and the Aghamroe hills were just a few miles away.
I have a song to sing
Caught from the lips of spring
Soft as a daffodil's
Whispering prayer.
I heard it echoing
On the Aghamore hills
When April was there.
He was a strong supporter of Knock Airport and his funeral took place on the twentieth anniversary of the opening of the airport, which he believed had helped greatly to revitalise Mayo and the West of Ireland over the last two decades. At the juncture, it is fitting to say a very sincere thank you to the doctors, nurses and other personnel of the University Hospital Galway, for their wonderful care of Gabriel in his last weeks, their excellent team work and flexible visiting hours, that meant so much, in particular, in the case of someone with a terminal illness. A very sincere thank you also to Fr John Glynn for celebrating the funeral Mass with such thoughtfulness and consideration, to the splendid choir, the well trained altar servers, those who provided the beautiful flowers for the altar, to the under takers Messers Cleary for their understanding and punctuality.
A special word of thanks too to those who supervised the location and the digging of the grave, to those who sent messages of sympathy, Mass cards, flowers, phone calls, emails etc. A genuine thank you to those who personally conveyed their sympathies, visited him in hospital, came to the laying in rest in his home in Ballydavid or attended the funeral obsequies in Glann Church and Culmore cemetery (Kilkelly).
Ofrailfear iobairt bheannaithe an Aifrinn ar bhur son.
Courtesy of the Mayo News
12 July 2006
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