Geraghty, Patsy
July 21, 2009A long life devoted to family, politics, the GAA, religious practice and all things Irish, was celebrated in ballinasloe as Patsy Geraghty was laid to rest with the same dignity and respect he had shown to the people and the town he loved so much for all of his 85 years.
There was huge attendance at his removal and funeral as townspeople and friends said a sad final farewell following the death of someone whose passing could indeed be categorised as "the end of an era". He had battled bravely with ill health in the past year or so and finally succumbed last Friday, peacefully, and in he loving comfort of his family.
He was also fortified by the company of Bishop John Kirby during his last hours, and another great friend archbishop Joseph Cassidy had also been at his bedside in Portiuncula Hospital.
In a moving homily during his funeral Mass, the chief celebrant Monsignor Cathal Geraghty, one of four sons he cherished, recalled how his father had once told him that when he died he wanted his funeral Mass to be 'dignified and prayerful", with no speeches in the Church, and that the bread and wine were to be the only gifts brought to the altar.
Monsignor Geraghty said that his father had been many things to many people, but to his family he was the centre of their lives, "a rock secure on which to build".
He recalled how the previous Monday his parents were 49 years married and when his mother went to see him in the hospital she found him on his mobile phone, ringing the house to wish her a happy anniversary and reminding her that they were signing the register in the Church at that time on July 20th 1960.
"They were truly blessed with each other. Theirs was a love story based on the realities of life, its joys and sorrows, its struggles and achievements. It wasn't 'Mills and Boon' it was practical love and undying commitment"
As a father, he and his brothers enjoyed great times together and were given unconditional love and extraordinary example.
Addressing his father's grandchildren, Monsignor Geraghty said they knew he wanted them to be the best they could, to have respect for themselves, to support one another, to be honest and true in their lives, and to treat all people with equal respect. He would also have wanted them to keep their faith and to be true to their God and to their prayers.
"You are the ones who are entrusted with your grandfathers legacy which is not a legacy that will make you financially rich, as he put no store on that kind of thing, but it will make you rich in the things that matter- faith, family and fairness".
Patsy Geraghty loved living so close to the Church and often said they were in "God's pocket here". His faith was strong, believing that without God we were floundering, but with him we flourished. He made that short journey from his house to God's house every day to attend Mass and pray the rosary. He never let a day go by without doing the Stations of the Cross and the thirty days prayer.
He was a Ballinasloe man through and through, continued his son, and he had committed himself to many organisations in the town he loved. As a Town Councillor for 25 years he had worked with representatives from all parties for the good of the town, and was particularly proud to have worked at securing funding for the town's marina.
A lover of all things Irish, he was a fluent Irish speaker and deeply involved in the GAA at local, County and inter County level, having been awarded the Gaelic football referees Hall of Fame award this year in Croke Park.
Monsignor Geraghty concluded his homily by referring to the manner in which people had spoken with genuine affection and sadness at his passing.
"Someone in Loughrea asked a friend of mine about the funeral and if the house would be private. The response was that the Geraghty's house was never private. It was open to all because he was at the service of all. Any help the could give he gave. Colour, creed, politics, or status didn't matter- if he could do something for your, he did it".
In a graveside oration in Creagh cemetery, Deputy Noel Treacy traced Patsy Geraghty's life from his childhood days in Ballinasloe to the commencement of his career in the public service which saw him rise to the position of chief purchasing officer with the Western Health Board until he retired in 1990, and he recalled how his expertise and knowledge in this area had saved the Government huge amounts of money in the late 1980's in delivering the health service.
He touched on his great love of the Irish language and involvement with Conradh Na Gaeilge before speaking about his life-long association with the GAA, first as a member of the local St. Grellan's Club with whom he played with in the 1940's, as well as his playing days with the Galway junior side.
He became a Galway minor selector in 1952 before progressing to select at senior level where he became part of the management team of the All Ireland winning Galway team of 1956 nd similarly in the halcyon days of the mid sixties when his beloved County won that famous three in a row.
His refereeing of Gaelic football had begun at street league level but by the 1950s he was refereeing at inter County level and he was in charge of the 1957 All-Ireland when Louth recorded their only senior title by beating Cork.
A year later he was invited to referee the League final which was played in New York and which was attended by the Kennedy brothers, John and Robert, with the latter throwing in the ball at the start of the game.
Patsy Geraghty's contribution to the GAA was recognised at Markievicz Park in Sligo when a minute's silence was observed in his memory prior to the throw-in of the Galway/Donegal senior football qualifier.
Above all else, Deputy Treacy said that Patsy Geraghty was a family man who had married the love of his life, Nora, on July 20 1960, which was the beginning of a relationship of warmth, love and respect in which they lived and worked for one another and their wonderful children.
Patsy Geraghty's coffin was draped in the Fianna Fail national flag as his remains were brought from St. Michael's Church, and in his eulogy Deputy Treacy recalled his half century of service as an officer of the party in East Galway, his even longer membership of the national executive where he served under seven Taoiseach, as well as the countless elections in which he acted as director of elections for Fianna Fail.
Three of those Fianna Fail leaders- current Taoiseach Brian Cowen, and former Taoiseach Albert Reynolds and Bertie Alhern- were among the many hundreds of people who had attended his removal the previous evening from his home beside the Church in St. Michael's Square.
Bertie Ahern had described him to Noel Treacy as "a real Fianna Fail man", not the conservative some considered him to be, but someone who was underestimated and "left of centre". At local level he served as a member of the Town Council for 25 years where he less fortunate, and was also a lifelong trade unionist.
Deputy Treacy concluded by describing him as a "true Irish patriot who never flinched in the service of his country.
Patsy Geraghty, who had celebrated his 49th wedding anniversary only days before his passing, is survived by his wife, Nora, and by his sons Paraic, Geroid, Michael and Monsignor Cathal Geraghty, who was the chief celebrant at his Requiem Mass, as well as his sister Maragaret.
Courtesy of the Connacht Tribune
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