The late Seamus Kelly There was widespread sadness in the parish of Clongeen and surrounding areas when Seamus Kelly passed away. Seamus, aged 71, lived in Ballyowen, Wellingtonbridge, and died in Wexford Hospital following a short illness. A son of Tom and Elizabeth Kelly, Seamus was born and raised in Ballyowen, with his brothers Tommy and Paddy. He is well known to many in Wexford for his involvement with the Irish Sugar Company, whom he joined in1958. Perhaps his finest achievement during his 33 years of dedicated service to the company was the opening of the Beet Depot in Wellingtonbridge, not far from his home. Seamus was the driving force behind bringing the new depot to the area and was appointed as manager when it opened in 1979. He was also appointed as manager when it opened in 1979. He was also appointed to the prestigious position of Beet Commissioner in 1980. A man who possessed a great love of the land and had agricultural knowledge, Seamus remained very active in Crop Husbandry and Agricultural Advisory after he left the Irish Sugar Company. Seamus was a great believer in community spirit and was a very kind man, who gladly gave of his time to help friends and neighbours and always put other people's needs before his own. A very popular man in Clongeen, Seamus was heavily involved with many local organisations. One of his passions was Gaelic games, and he was a hard working and valuable member of the Clongeen club. Elected to the post of the club Secretary in 1970, he worked diligently to improve the fortunes of the club and was delighted to see Clongeen win their first-ever adult title that same year, when they triumphed in the county Junior football final. Members of the Clongeen G.A.A. club paid tribute to Seamus with a guard of honour at his funeral mass. A gifted stage performer, Seamus was for many years a member of the Ballylannon "Tops of the Town" group. Seamus acted as M.C. for the group, but was renowned for his recitals, particularly a beautiful rendition of John O'Brien's "The Trimmings of the Rosary". His expert deliveries were a highlight of the Clongeen tops and were vital to the Ballylannon group's victory in 1968. Seamus was a devoted family man and in later years his generosity of spirit was evident in his trips to Lourdes as a helper with the Irish Handicapped Pilgrimage Trust. The esteem in which Seamus was held was evidenced by the large numbers of people who gathered at St. Aidan's Church, Clongeen, for his Requiem Mass and subsequent burial at Clongeen cemetery on Sunday morning. Seamus is survived by his wife Josie, sons Eamonn, John, James, Gerald and Colin, daughter Liz, daughter-in-law Bridín and Christine, Fiona and his grandchildren Dáire, Sadhbh and Luke. He will be sadly missed by his family and wide circle of friends. Courtesy of the Wexford People October 2004 Tweet

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