Family, faith and farming mattered most to Brigid
BRIGID Brophy, who has died at the age of 86, was a dairy farmer in Slievereagh, Rathdangan, where she brought up her seven children with her husband Mark.
Like many of her generation, she had a steely will to give of herself generously to her family and her community. Throughout her life she was involved with a wide circle of card players for 25, whist and then bridge and was an avid supporter of any parish event.
Brigid was an active member of the local Apostolic Society Branch in Rathdangan from the age of 16 until shortly before her death, making sacred vestments for the missions. In fact, Brigid was involved in all events in the Rathdangan community.
Brigid’s hospitality was well-known with neighbours and she was always giving lifts, support or advice – kindness she received in return over her lifetime and especially when she needed it most, towards the end of her life. She always felt fortunate to live in such a caring community.
Brigid was born on August 28, 1930, and was the eldest of the seven children of Pat and Mary Cullen from Killamoate, Rathdangan.
She was educated in Rathcoyle and later won a scholarship to Ramsgrange in County Wexford where she graduated with specialist knowledge in hen rearing, butter making, animal husbandry and general farming – skills she used for the rest of her life.
She married Mark Brophy in 1953 and moved two miles to the other side of the village to Slievereagh. The next 38 years they worked their hearts out on the farm moulding a dairy herd and rearing their family.
After the death of her husband in 1991, she set about developing computer skills, learning bridge, taking an annual holiday, making patchwork quilts, doing a type of embroidery from Co Laois known as called Mountmellick lace and continuing to farm, even if on a smaller scale. Her signature piece was the white on white Mountmellick Lace bed quilt which she created over nine years from 1991 to 2000.
She was a woman of immense faith. She prayed with friars, nuns, a pope, cardinals, bishops and priests who all inspired her. But her faith was founded on 9.30 a.m. mass in Killamoate and tested in the fire of life’s events. Her life could be summed up in three f’s – faith, family and farming. Like so many of her generation, she demonstrated you can only be yourself and being yourself is good enough. She was driven, generous, hospitable, respectful, interested and honest to a fault.
Brigid Brophy died at her home unexpectedly on December 29 and was buried in Cranerin on January 1 following requiem mass in Killamoate church. She is predeceased by her husband Mark, sister Marion and brothers PJ and Cathal.
She is survived by her children Margaret, Laurence, Mary, Patrick, Charlie, Ger and Mark, son-in-law Michael, daughters-in-law Mary, Claire, Sandra, Michele and Lorraine, her 15 grandchildren, her sisters Kathleen and Ann, brother Peader, sisters in law Pat, Betty, Fatima, brother in law Jim. May she rest in Peace.