Johnny was a true son of Oylegate

A true son of Oylegate, Johnny Ryan of Power's Range, passed away in his 91st year. Johnny was born in Oylegate on September 21, 1922, the only son of James and Annie Ryan (nee Kirwan) and only brother to his sister Mary. At the time of his passing he was its oldest and best known parishioner, something he was very proud of. Johnny went to school in Oylegate National School leaving school at the tender age of 14 years.

He spent his teenage years working as a telegram delivery boy and a farm worker. His father James was a distillery worker in Powers Distillery, John's Lane, Dublin, so he followed in his father's footsteps and took up employment there at the age of 19, just one year after his father had retired at the age of 70. Johnny set off to Dublin and in his own words he planned 'to make a good life for himself as there was nothing in the country in the 1940's.'

And this he most definitely did, he worked in most departments starting off and it didn't take long for the boss men to see this young man had potential. In Johnny's first winter in Dublin window shopping on Sunday afternoons became a pastime and his goal that year was to buy a new suit in Clery's of O'Connell Street. That spring Johnny bought a fine suit and continued to do so every year after, even during his retirement.

These suits came in very useful when he was sent to the RDS Simmonscout to promote Powers Whiskey at trade shows. Before too long Johnny was appointed Distillery Foreman of Powers Distillery, which at the time was one of the biggest distilleries in the country.

This was an incredible achievement for a man who never went past primary school education, but he was ambitious, intelligent and very hardworking and he always said the team of men from Oylegate and all over county Wexford that worked with him made his job easier as they were cut from the same cloth as himself.

Johnny worked long hours, 60-70 hours a week, but come the month of August he joined Ellie and his family in Oylegate and it is during these summers he loved to fish for salmon on the Slaney and spend Sundays at the many regattas, spurring on the St. David and Seagull racing cots. He loved both past-times immensely and gave his family some very happy childhood memories spent on the banks of the Slaney.

Johnny married the late Ellie Walsh from Crossabeg on October 5, 1953, they set up home in Dublin and together they reared five children (Anne, Helen, John, Bernadette and Mary), all born in Dublin, later to include sons-in-law Fran Casey, Brian Peelo, daughter-in-law the late Anne Ryan (nee Kirby) and Paul Ryan. Johnny had twelve grandchildren Karen, Gerard, Stephen, Christopher, John, James, George, Kevin, Gillian, Heather, Adam and Anita and six great grand children Ellie Anne, Ryan, Charlie, Bobby, Halle and Mabel.

Johnny loved and enjoyed watching his grandchildren grow up, he sang and rocked them asleep as babies and he enjoyed giving them advice on everything from growing up to improving their golf/hurling skills and this would also include demonstrations on swinging a golf club or 'pucking out' a sliothar. Johnny never acted like an old man. In his head he was young and he never passed 65. All of Johnny's life he adored the game of hurling. The highlight of his hurling career came in a County Junior Final played in Bellefield on December 12,1943. Johnny was the youngest member of the team and was a substitute on the day.

In the second half of the match a player on the Oylegate/Glenbrien team was injured and Johnny when was called upon he scored three goals, the last one in the dying minutes of the game against St. Ibar's of Castlebridge putting Oylegate ahead by one point. Johnny recalled this great day many times especially in the last few weeks of his life - he called it 'The happiest day of my life'. Johnny was also one of the founding members of the Fr. Murphy Hurling Club in Dublin which trained in the Phoenix Park. It was with this club Johnny fulfilled another of his dreams - he togged out in the Purple and Gold of Wexford (Fr Murphy's club colours) and he captained the winning team of the Dublin Junior Championship to win the Miller Shield in 1952. On Johnny's 90th birthday last September he was asked did he ever play against Nicky Rackard his reply was 'Ah yes, we tried to play against Nicky Rackard'. Johnny visited the statue of Rackard and his excitement at the sight of his hero was palpable.

In recent years Johnny and his little blue car was an everyday sight at the Oylegate/Glebrien GAA Pitch. He was there for the Rackard League training in the afternoon and also back for the evening training sessions and also every match. He knew and talked to every man, woman and child in the field and his presence will be sadly missed.

To Johnny, Oylegate was the only place on earth. It had everything he loved - his home, the river Slaney, the hurling field, his family and his friends. Johnny had a sense of home and peace in Oylegate and now he is home and he sleeps in our quiet country graveyard and is among so many of his friends.

May he rest in peace.


Courtesy of The Wexford People. Tweet

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