The late Jerome Whooley The death took place at St Joseph's Hospital, Bantry, on Monday, January 15th, 2007, of Jerome Whooley of Lisheen and Dublin. Aged 73, Jerome, had spent most of his adult years living and working in Dublin before retiring 'home' to Lisheen about five years ago. However, his retirement wasn't as carefree or as mellow as he had deserved, and in recent years as his health declined he became more incapacitated. He attended Lisheen NS and then St Fachtna's De La Salle, Skibbereen, where his ability on the football field and as an athlete was quickly recognised. Jerome was an extraordinary man in many ways. As a youth, aged just 16 years of age, selected on the Carbery senior football selection. The late 1940s was a less enlightened age then new and, unfortunately, little was known of the proper procedures for treating polio victims. Jerome was sent to the Fever Hospital in Cork for six months where he was kept in isolation; then to the South Infirmary for another six months before returning home to Lisheen for 18 months. Then, in response to the concerns for those left with disabilities as a result of the several outbreaks of poliomyelitis in Ireland in the 1940s and 1950s, the Central Remedial Clinic was set up in Dublin in April 1951 by Lady Valerie Goulding and Kathleen O'Rourke as a small non-residential treatment centre. Jerome was sent to Dublin and was the second patient ever to be treated at the CRC and got to know Lady Goulding very well and they became very good friends. It was through a contact of Lady Goulding's that Jerome got a job in 1954 with the renowned Garnetts and Keegans of Parliament Street in Dublin, one of the biggest and most famous fishing and hunting shops in Ireland. Jerome spent 30 years with the firm, starting out as company secretary and eventually becoming director. Garnetts and Keegans was something of a revered institution in Dublin, and some people may recall an appearance by the well-known wildlife film-maker Eamon de Buitlear on The Late Late Show with Gay Byrne some years ago when, in a hilarious interview, one of the things he eluded to was the great memory of his first job in Garnetts and Keegans. Actually, in the Irish Fly Fishing and Game Shooting Museum in Attanagh, Durrow, Co Laois, there's a special room in the library dedicated to Garnetts and Keegans. When Garnetts and Keegans closed, Jerome went to work for the South Inner City Community Development Association, a group that helped to place people in employment in the city. He remained there for the rest of his working life and, just the day after he retired, he came back to live in Lisheen. Jerome was a very intelligent and companionable man, he loved good company and was good in company. Despite all his years in Dublin, he kept in contact with his old friends and neighbours in west Carbery, and he especially kept in touch with is companions from his football days. In the 1960s, he remained very much part of the set-up in the Skibbereen GAA club as he drove Dublin-based players up and down most weekends. At that time, they would have left Dublin on a Saturday evening after work and driven to Skibbereen. The lads would have played their match on Sunday afternoon, then, after various shenanigans, they would set off for Dublin again at 1 or 2 o'clock on Monday morning to be back in time for work! Chief celebrant at the Requiem Mass for Jerome at St Comghall's Church, Lisheen, was Very Rev Fr Donal Chaill, Adm, Aughadown, and he joined on the altar by Fr Kevin O'Regan, CC, Skibbereen and Rath, and Fr Michael Crowley, SMA, Myross Wood, a boyhood friend and school-mate of Jerome's. There was an overflowing congregation at the obsequies and some of Jerome's nephews and nieces participated in the celebration of the Mass. Jerome Whooley was predeceased by his brothers Michael and Danny, sisters Rose and Mary, sisters in law, brothers in law, nephews, nieces, cousins and a large circle of friends. Courtesy of the Southern Star 27 January 2007 Tweet

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