Sociable Ann always had a positive outlook
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ANNE (Anastasia) Cowman (née Gantley) was born in 1933 in New Ross Co Wexford to her parents Anastasia and Thomas Gantley.
Her father was a bookkeeper in a storehouse on the Quay in New Ross and her mother’s family ( Whelan) were farmers from outside New Ross. Anna’s mother ran a small shop in the family home in Irishtown, New Ross.
Anne was the youngest of six children. Two died in infancy and two others died as teenagers. Her sister Margaret died in 1977.
Despite the early demise of family members, her account of her childhood was one of fun and full of ‘divilment’. She had the run of Irishtown from the Three Bullet Gate to the graveyard playing everything from camogie to chase. Sunday trips to her grandparents’ farm to play with her cousins were long remembered. She enjoyed keeping up contact with her cousins from New Ross right up to this January.
Anne loved school but decided to learn a trade and she chose hairdressing. She served her time in Séamus’s Hair Salon in New Ross and Waterford. When she had completed her training, Anne decided to apply for jobs – and was offered the two she applied for.
Anne came to Bunclody in the 1950s and stayed in digs on Main Street and worked on Irish Street. She first spotted her late husband Seán Cowman (or he spotted her) when walking between her digs and the salon, where they moved on from the exchange of pleasantries to a first date, a trip to the cinema, and they wed in 1962.
They set up home on Irish Street and were blessed with three sons, Thomas (Tom), John and Michael. Anne continued her hairdressing in her own salon in Irish Street and there are many ladies who lived in Bunclody and were regular customers and brought their children too. Anne was a great believer that the confidentiality of the hair salon was sacrosanct. If she plied her trade today, she would be thought of as some kind of ‘natural hair care specialist’ as she did not believe in washing hair too often, or in hair dye, but was more concerned about the health and strength of the hair.
Anne was a very sociable person and loved the company and fun at whist drives and bingo. She had an incredibly positive, cheerful outlook, and a subtle sense of humour – which was respectful and courteous – and she was well able to tell a story, making her very enjoyable company. She was well liked by all those who had dealings with her.
She was very proud of her family and was happy to tell people how much she thought of her three boys and their families – daughters-inlaw Bláthín and Anna, grandchildren Aisling, Eimer, Oscar, Kate and Seán.
Anne loved her car – just to sit in it outside the door in the warm evening sun, just as her husband Seán had done. She was an excellent driver and had a great sense of direction. She drove her husband Seán to race meetings from Tramore to the Curragh and beyond, and every Sunday they would take a trip which often included a picnic in the car.
Anne was a deeply religious person, and the rosary was recited every evening in her home when her children were growing up. She also found quiet time for her own personal prayers, a great source of comfort to her.
She had a love of nature, which gave her great satisfaction and enjoyment. She loved flowers, sowing them in the garden and in pots outside the kitchen window. Last year, she even went so far as sowing them outside her nephew’s shop in the hope that they will continue to be looked after.
Anne died unexpectedly in the Mater Private Hospital on Wednesday, January 27, and her funeral Mass was celebrated in the Church of the Most Holy Trinity, Bunclody on Saturday, January 30, followed by interment in the family plot in Ryland Cemetery.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h-anam dílis.
WEXFORD’S Irish Wheelchair Association has called on the government to prioritise people with disabilities under its vaccination plan.
As public concerns grow over vaccine delays, a spokesperson for the charity said that people with physical disabilities are at severe risk due to underlying conditions.
‘Many people with physical disabilities are at severe risk of Covid due to health conditions that could cause complications and hospitalisation, yet they have not been recognised as a vulnerable group. The government must also recognise that in the absence of regular day services, many people with disabilities have been confined at home since the virus took hold last March, adding additional stress.
‘People we support are eager to get the vaccine and are highly concerned about how long they will wait with vaccine supplies lower than planned,’ said Caroline Lacey of the organisation.
She said that it is a worry that at the current time, people over 65 in residential settings with disabilities are rightly getting vaccinated, while those living independently in the community or those being assisted at home in Wexford are not.
‘ This is a real issue and our members have told us they are very keen to be vaccinated, but are concerned that they will be left waiting. With concerns about vaccination supplies, we urge the Minister for Health to urgently include people with disabilities on the priority list to ensure their protection. Our immediate priority is to protect people with disabilities and to ensure that the most vulnerable have all the support they need while they cannot be with their family and friends but because of their vulnerabilities to Covid-19, they must be included on the government’s vaccine priority list.
‘We have been visiting people at home every day since Covid arrived almost a year ago. We are helping people get out of bed, get dressed, preparing meals, helping around the home, making trips for shopping, the chemist and with personal care’.
The Irish Wheelchair Association is Ireland’s largest organisation supporting people with physical disabilities to lead active and independent lives and has 20,000 members.
For further information about Irish Wheelchair Association visit www.iwa.ie.