One of the great characters of life in County Wexford was laid to rest at the weekend to the sound of a hunting horn. Clonroche publican John Jude Doyle died last week at the age of 73 after he was taken ill over a game of cards with friends.
Sportsman, broadcaster, politician, entertainer, impresario, horseman - there was no end to the range of the enthusiasms which made Jude well known and respected. A Carlow man by birth, he hailed from Rathvilly but became a popular and positive contributor to so many aspects of life in his adopted county.
Jude arrived in the Clonroche area to work at the agricultural institute in the 1960s, a respected authority the likes of Nick Rath and the late Tim O'Callaghan. The switch from Carlow to Wexford was sealed in 1966 by marriage to Anne Frayne.
The couple had five children and also worked together to make Anne's family public house a landmark hostelry, which they christened The Cloch Ban. HIs personality proved a perfect fit for the licensed trade as he made friends of his customers and made the premises where he presided for more than four decades a stage on which local happenings were played out.
The breadth of his passions was truly staggering. Jude twice ran for Labour as a county council candidate and helped build up the local branch of the party. He was immersed in Gaelic games and also gave practical support to his local soccer club.
He appeared in pantomime and bred greyhounds. His enduring sense of mischief was blended with a desire to see those around him develop their skills and personal potential. He made people smile but he also had an ability to inspire. He will be most widely remembered as the voice of Wexford show jumping, whether on the public address at countless gymkhanas or on local radio, where his catch phrase was 'Happy Galloping'.
The man with the trademark ponytail and the gravelly voice was pivotal in making the national schools, show jumping championships a truly national event and he rose to be a founding director of Irish Horse Board among other influential positions within the industry.
And at the heart of all his many interests, he remained a loving family man, who relished the role of grandfather in recent times. The funeral Mass in the church at Cloughbawn was celebrated by parish priest Fr Bernard Cushen, with burial afterwards in the nearby cemetery where the graveside oration was delivered by his friend Liam Spratt.
John Jude Doyle is mourned by his wife Anne and by his children Lillian, CJ, Rosie, Siobhan and Meabh. Pre-deceased by his brother Christopher, he will also be sadly missed by daughter-in-law Mag, son-in-law Brian, grandchildren, Caoimhe, Tara, Cathal, Finn, Siun and Sadhbh, brothers Jim and Pat, sisters Mary and Siobhan, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, cousins, relatives, neighbours and friends beyond number.

Wexford People, January 21st 2014 Tweet

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