The late Billy Keilthy Mr Billy Keilthy of 1, Allen Street who died at the age of 90 was on one of the founding members of the Wexford Sean Ghael organisation and served as its President. Mr Keilthy who was six days short of his 91st birthday, passed away peacefully at his residence. He is survived by his sons, Liam, Sean and Brendan; his daughters, Deirdre, Patricia and Siobhan; by his grandchildren, sons in law, daughters in law, sister in law, nephews, nieces, relatives and many friends. He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Patricia (Patsy) six years ago. Billy who was born in Irishtown New Ross in 1916 was one of life's true gentleman, a christian who lived his life according to his faith. In 1946, he married Patsy O'Kennedy and they shared 55 years of happy life together before she passed away in March 2001. During his working life, Billy had various jobs, doing everything from blending and bottling whiskey to managing a brewery and working for himself on a fruit and vegetable van. At the tender age of 68, he went to work for Devereux Office supplies in School Street and spend 13 years there before retiring. One of his real passions in life was the GAA. He was a successful hurler and became the first GAA appointed manager in Ireland, managing the Wexford county team in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Earlier, in 1935, he gained notoriety by lining our with Kilkenny in a Leinster match under an assumed name, a move which earned him a ban in his native Wexford. In his youth, Billy cycled everywhere. He would cycle from New Ross to Enniscorthy just to play a match. He would cycle miles to court Patsy. Once, he and his great friend, Joe Bailey and a group of pals cycled from New Ross to Ballybunion in Kerry. On the short visit, he made friends with the Stack family, a friendship that endured right up to the time he died. Billy was also involved in the Church. In his younger days, he was an altar boy and later became a Eucharistic Minister, spending nearly 30 years assisting at weekly Mass with his friends, the Murphy's. He was a dedicated visitor to Wexford General Hospital. He loved to visit people who may not have had other people calling on a regular basis. He would have a quiet chat with the nurse, make his way in to a ward and within seconds would have found some connection with the patient wether through the GAA, business friends or family. In more recent years when Patsy became ill, Billy left his job in Devereux to take care of her for a number of years up to her death. He loved walking and would drag members of his family out on impossibly long walks in the evenings. After Patsy passed away, he walked across the Bridge to visit her grave in St Ibar's Cemetery on an almost nightly basis. Various family members joined him on these excursions and on one occasion, his son Brendan took it upon himself to ask him a question. 'Dad are you scared of dying?" Billy stopped in his tracks. The son thought he had out his foot in it. Billy slowly turned around to face him and said: 'No boy, I'm not'. 'Why?' asked Brendan. 'Sure boy ... there's nothing I can do about it...why be scared?. Just be ready!. During a tribute to him at the funeral Mass in Rowe Street, Brendan speaking on behalf of the family, said his idea of Heaven for his father was a combination of Irishtown and Allen Street with Patsy, the family and friends, and Joe and Billy pucking a hurling ball around and planning trips on their bikes. Brendan described his father as 'a welcoming man, a man of great faith, a man of compassion and great humour who loved County Wexford and its people'. But most of all, Billy was a man who was 'ready', he said. Courtesy of the Wicklow People 20 May 2007 Tweet

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