Nicholas lived long and happy life surrounded by loving family
NICHOLAS Taaffe was born in a small country house on the 19th of January 1924, in the rural community of Sheepgrange, Drogheda, Co. Louth. Nicholas was the youngest of a large brood. His mother, Julia, had a family of three with her first husband, Edward Durnin, and on his passing, a further eight with her second husband, William Taaffe. When Julia gave birth to Nicholas in 1924, few would have guessed that this was to be the house in which he would remain for the rest of his long and happy life.
Nicholas had a happy childhood. He came from what could be described as a clannish family, where all brothers and sisters got on and always looked out for one another. 1920s Ireland was very different to the Ireland we know today, and Nicholas grew up in a house with no electricity or running water.
He received very little formal education as he only had the privilege of attending national school up until the age of 13. While Nicholas’ education was fairly limited by today’s standards, his time at school equipped him with literacy skills, a great faith and a love for learning that he would retain for the rest of his days.
After finishing primary school, Nicholas went on to work in the Townley Hall Estate where he worked for 30 years, before getting a job in Becton Dickinson. After retiring early from Becton Dickinson, he focused his attention on the farm he had been maintaining for many years. Here he raised cattle, herded sheep and grew crops. His brother Liam once worked on the farm as blacksmith.
In 1956, Nicholas met Phyllis Sullivan who originated from the North Road, Drogheda, Co. Louth. The pair began their courtship after meeting at a carnival in Drogheda’s Fair Green and were courting for seven years before they got married in 1963. They wed in Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Drogheda, and their reception was held in Bellingham Castle. They would have celebrated 55 years of marriage in August 2018.
Nicholas and Phyllis brought three children into the world -Anne, Brian and Thomas-and their children provided them with great happiness and joy. Nicholas and Phyllis were delighted to welcome Eddie, Elizabeth and Colette to their family through marriage and also their grandchildren Ruth, Sarah, Ciarán, Killian, Colm, Eoghan and Rachel of whom Nicholas was very proud and loved dearly. Nicholas was a devoted husband to Phyllis throughout his life and they were both blessed with good health and happiness. Despite Nicholas’s health issues in recent years he always had a smile on his face and loved to read the ‘Irish Independent’ each day. His ability to retain information and enter into conversation was amazing even up to the last few weeks of his life.
Nicholas always made a conscious effort to keep in touch with his extended family, both at home and abroad. He took a great interest in the lives and well-being of all his nieces and nephews, who in turn rewarded him with their visits and kindness. Indeed, he shared many a day attending football matches with his extended family and in latter years there was nothing he enjoyed more than sharing a drink with his nephews, having a cup of tea with his nieces or watching a GAA match with his family.
Nicholas had a great love for the outdoors and took great pride maintaining his garden and enjoying the seasonal changes that came with it. He had a great love of animals especially his dogs. He had a ‘grá’ for a cúpla focal and a generous nature with the ‘Christmas Box’. He adapted slowly but surely to new forms of technology – his mobile phone and hearing aids.
Throughout his life, Nicholas had to deal with grief in many forms as he witnessed the passing on of his own generation. He grieved quietly for his own family members and friends that passed away before him, some of whom were spread out around the globe, some just down the road. He attended many funerals and was particularly sad at being unable to attend the funeral mass, due to his own illness, of his late brother-inlaw Patsy Cole, who passed away suddenly on the 24th of March 2018, in his 95th year.
In his final weeks, Nicholas was cared for by Professor Ó Brannagáin and his Palliative Care Team in Louth County Hospital where he was treated with great compassion and kindness.
Nicholas’ deep faith was a great source of comfort to him during his difficult final weeks. He passed away on the 23rd May 2018 aged 94. While Nicholas was a quiet man, he was a man of great wit and integrity. He was a gentleman and hard-working family man who was loved dearly by all of his family and friends. His popularity was evidenced by the large crowds that attended his wake, funeral mass and burial in Church of the Assumption, Tullyallen. Nicholas is sadly missed by his loving wife Phyllis, daughter Anne, sons Brian and Thomas, son-in law Eddie, daughters in law Elizabeth and Colette, and grandchildren Ruth, Sarah, Ciarán, Killian, Colm, Eoghan and Rachel.