The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Charlie’s love affair with Valentia began with ‘The Maria’
ON FRIDAY, February 24 ,the death occurred at the age of 82 of Charles Bartlett of Farranreagh, Valentia Island, who was a native of Plymouth in the South of England. Though he endured health problems for a number of years, he was quite active and outgoing up to a short period before his death.
Affectionately referred to as ‘’Charlie’’ by his family and friends in Valentia, he first came to the island as a sixteen year old Galley Boy in the Cable Ship Marie Louis Mackay –commonly referred to in Valentia as ‘The Maria’’ – when it visited Valentia Harbour in the early fifties. The Maria Louis Mackay was a Cable Repair Ship registered in London, and owned by the Commercuial Cable Company, a subsidiary of Mackay Radio of the United States of America. She was built on the Tyne in 1922 by Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson.
Charlie was accompanied on the ship by his uncle, George Bovey, who was employed in it as a Cable Splicer. Pat Lynch from Gortgower, Valentia, spent his working life at sea all over the world from the years 1951-2002, as a cargo ship’s captain.
His book ‘Highlights From Seafaring’ was published about two years ago, and launched in the Ring Lyne, Valentia. Coincidentally, Pat’s first seafaring experience occurred when, at the age of about 20, he joined the visiting Maria Louis Mackay as a crew member. An early chapter of his book, when referring to various crew members of that boat, reads thus: ’’We had a giant of a man from the Barbican in Plymouth,George Bovey. He had more than 20 years’ service on cable ships. He was a very generous man in imparting his knowledge of cable work. I learned a lot from him. His nephew, Charlie Bartlett, sailed on board for a short time, before I left the ship. He later married a local girl, who was in school with me, Mary Sugrue. He had a good career with the Irish Lights, as a painter. They now live in Valentia, in retirement. He told me recently that my mentor, George, had gone to the cable ships in the sky.’’
Since those words were written Charlie’s wife Mary has passed on, which left a huge void and sadness in his life, as their marriage time span was complimented by a Golden Anniversary celebration. As a result of that early fifties visit of the Maria Louis Mackay, Charlie and Mary first met in Valentia, as sixteen years olds, and married in England, subsequently living in Plymouth. Her father was the late Jackie Sugrue of Cracow, who was Cox of the Valentia Lifeboat from 1958-69. They then moved to Dublin, where Charlie took employment as a painter in the Malahide Boatyard, then spending a period fishing in Howth with his brother-in-law John Sugrue of Cracow, and finally obtained work as a painter with the Irish Lights. Their retirement years were spent in Farranreagh, Valentia.
Charlie Bartlett, very well liked and respected in the Valentia Island community, who resided on his own in Farranreagh, will be sadly missed in the environs of Knightstown, as by morning routine he regularly exercised his beloved dog ‘Skip’.
His requiem mass was celebrated in the church of the Immaculate Conception, Knightstown by Fr Larry Kelly, with a talk on his behalf from the pulpit by Bernie O’Driscoll (nee Sugrue, a niece of his wife Mary) .He was laid to rest in Kilmore graveyard. Sincere sympathy is offered to his sister Joan and her husband Derek, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews and all of the Sugrue, Houlihan and O’Driscoll families of Valentia. Ar dheis Dé go raibh sé.