Flynn, Michael
February 07, 2007
The late Michael Flynn
On January 14, 2007, Michael Flynn passed away peacefully at his residence in Rowan Drive, Castlebar, surrounded by his loving wife and best friend Kathleen (nee O'Malley) and his four loving children, Padraig, Michael, Laura and Paul.
Michael was the eighth and youngest child of the late Jack and Kathleen Flynn, Cloontubrid, Ross, Castlebar and is survived by and deeply mourned by his loving wife and family, brothers John (Ross), Harry (Castlebar), Jimmy (Rowan Drive), Joe (Turlough) an his three sisters, Mary (Ballintubber), Kitty (Newport) and Anne (Carnacon), brother in law, sisters in law, nieces and nephews, cousins and friends.
Unfortunately, Michael had only reached the young age of 45 after suffering from a serious illness over the past seven months.
Michael attended Parke National School and then served a short term in the Vocational School in Castlebar. He then went on to work in Josie Bourke's Garage in Ellison Street and worked for a short time in Albany Paint Shop in The Arcade, Castlebar. He then joined Mayo County Council Castlebar area outdoor staff as a checker and progressed from there to become a ganger, a town foreman and finished up as a supervisor. Overall, he had 28 years service with Mayo County Council.
In his younger days Michael was a noted Gaelic footballer and represented the Parke Club with great distinction as a goalkeeper during the 1980's. He was a member of the team that won the County Junior and Intermediate Championships in 1981 and 1983 respectively.
He also won a Kelly Cup medal in 1982 and he also represented the club when they contested the Mayo Senior Championship for a number of years in the mid 1980s. He also played in goal for Barcastle Soccer Club on a number of occasions around that time. His passion for Gaelic football always remained with him, and he was an avid supporter of both his club and county. Sadly, Michael never got to see Mayo win an All-Ireland senior title, something he dearly wished for, but it was not to be.
Michael was greatly respected by both his work colleagues and the community in general and this was clearly illustrated by the numbers of people that turned out on both days of his funeral to give him such a fitting farewell. His funeral was the largest seen in Castlebar for many years and was testimony to the high esteem in which he was held by his friends and the many people he came in contact with during his short life.
Michael's remains were removed from Kilcoyne's Funeral Home on January 16, 2007 to the Church of the Holy Rosary, Castlebar. He was laid to rest in the new cemetery after 11 o'clock Mass on Wednesday, January 17, 2007. His coffin was draped with the Parke and Mayo flags and a guard of honour was formed by his work colleagues and his club mates on both days.
The following tribute was paid to Michael at his Funeral Mass by his son, Padraig.
"Firstly, I would just like to thank all of Dad's dear family and friends for their immense support to my mum, Michael, Laura, Paul and myself over the last seven months.
" I would like to thank all the doctors and nurses at Merlin Park Hospital and University College Hospital, Galway and all the community nurses and palliative care nurses for their time, dedication and care of Dad through his illness, both in hospital and at home.
"The huge turnout here today just goes to show what a great man Dad was and how loved he was by the community. Dad lived his life thinking about everyone but himself. He loved giving his time to helping other people when he could.
"As much as he loved everyone, he was loved in return by his family, especially in his time of need. The love and devotion my mum showed him over the last 24 years and especially in the last seven months was beyond belief. I know dad would want me to thank mum, love of his life and also his best friend, for the love and support she gave him and I am so proud to be able to call her our mum.
"So, finally, all that's left to say is "Goodbye Dad" and thank you for all your love over the years.We will always continue to love and miss you through out our lives."
Courtesy of The Mayo News
7 February 2007
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