MayDwyer(80) wasmuch lovedaround Goreyarea
THE people of Gorey gathered at St Michael’s Church recently to bid a fond farewell to May Dwyer of Coislinne, who passed away on Tuesday, January 3, at the age of 80. She was much loved in the town, and had a particular longheld association with this newspaper.
Mary (May) Byrne was born in Arklow, the middle child of Lindsay and Ann Byrne. While she was very young, the family, which also included her older brother Michael (who died in 1982), and her younger brother Roy, moved to Gorey.
Her parents ran Lindsay Byrne’s public house and bakery at 8 Main Street where Bookstation and Liz Collins boutique are now.
May was educated at the Loreto in Gorey, and helped in the family business in her spare time.
She had problems with her eyesight from birth, but this didn’t stop her from enjoying life. In her younger years, she loved to play hockey, and badminton. She enjoyed going horse riding with members of the Webb family, her neighbours on Main Street, and with Martin Doran.
She was the first woman to join the Irish Blind Golf Association, and she went on to play on the Irish team.
When she decided she was going to drive, she got lessons, and passed her test first time. She then said ‘ that’s it, I’ve proved I can drive,’ and she never drove again.
May had a passion for animals, and for a while, she bred dogs, including German Shepherds, and later, corgis.
She was one of the first people in Wexford, and possibly in Ireland, to have a guide dog. As there was nowhere in Ireland to do so, she was one of the lucky few to be selected to go to Exeter in the UK to train for a dog. Her guide dog was a novelty in Gorey at first, and she became known as ‘ the woman with the jacket on the dog’, or ‘ the woman with the blind dog.’
She loved music, and she was an early member of Gorey Operatic So- ciety, and again, her poor eyesight didn’t prevent her from taking part. She played Katisha in ‘ The Mikado’, a part which required her to remove her glasses, and fellow cast member Paddy Byrne used to lead her in and out of the wings.
She also thoroughly enjoyed ballroom dancing, and was a regular visitor to the ballroom in Courtown.
In later years, May took up Bridge, and became quite an adept player with her regular playing partner Noel Carton.
Back in the early days, while playing badminton, she met Sean Dwyer, the local journalist with the Gorey Guardian.
They married in the early 1960’s, and initially set up their home in Thomas Street, just two doors away from where the Guardian later opened an office.
They soon built a house out the Courtown Road. Theirs was very much an open house, with friends and family regularly calling in, as well as people dropping in items for the paper. May often took newspaper-related messages on the home phone for Sean, and she was also known to accompany him to rural court sittings in places like Tullow.
After school, May worked in the family business for a while, before going to work with Tully’s travel agency. After that, she worked with the veterinary surgeon Larry Kinsella for a period, where she was highly-regarded for her organisational skills.
As her eyesight continued to deteriorate, she had to give up work. She always said that Sean looked after her so well. They travelled extensively, and went on a foreign holiday every year.
May was heartbroken when Sean passed away on December 13, 1995, and she missed him terribly. A year later, she moved to Coislinne in Gorey so she could be more independent, and a succession of guide dogs helped ensure she could get out and about as much as possible, chatting to her friends around town, and even popping in to the Guardian office from time to time.
In recent months, as her health continued to deteriorate, May moved to live with her brother Roy and sister-in-law Barbara just outside Gorey. She was admitted to Wexford General Hospital in December where she was given excellent care by Dr Buckley and his team.
A large crowd of family, friends, and neighbours attended her Funeral Mass on Saturday, January 7, which was said by her cousin Fr Anthony O’Connell, and concelebrated by her cousin Fr Jim O’Connell and parish priest Fr William Howell. The readings were by her niece Edain Byrne, and her friends Una Dillon and Veronica Lombard.
May was reunited with her beloved Sean in St Michael’s cemetery afterwards.
Pre-deceased by her husband Sean and her brother Michael, May is survived by her heartbroken brother Roy, sisters-in-law Barbara and Nancy, nieces Michaela, Nicola, and Edain, nephew Cillian, relatives, friends and neighbours.
May she rest in peace.