Much loved Strandhill figure
THURSDAY 8th November brought sad news to the people of Strandhill with the passing of Bridget O’Dowd.
Bridget (or Bridgie as she was better known) was a fixture at the heart of the Strandhill community for close on fifty years.
Her relationship with the locality began with the purchase of the Sancta Maria Hotel in 1970 with her beloved husband Nace.
Bridgie and Nace quickly set about turning the venue into a central amenity in the town. It became the equivalent of a hotel, community centre and social club rolled into one.
Countless happy occasions were celebrated there including weddings, christenings and Christmas parties, all handled efficiently and seamlessly by Bridgie and her hard working staff. Bridgie also became known for allowing the use of the function room free of charge to any number of local groups and charity organisations.
And while the occasions may have varied, they all had one thing in common, the almost endless generosity and hospitality of Bridgie and Nace.
No-one ever left the Sancta Maria without being well fed, whether it was tea and sandwiches for a function or a three course meal for a wedding.
The front bar was home to a host of regular patrons, each willing to tell a taller tale than the next.
My own sisters and brothers spent many summers working there, acquiring a healthy work ethic in the process.
The bar was a stopping off point for the great and the good of Strandhill and further afield. It was a place where a quiet pint was to be had during the day or a more social one at night.
Bridgie met her husband Nace during the 1950s, while he was making his name as one of the foremost footballers in Ireland.
Their courtship was somewhat unconventional in that it involved endless travels the length and breadth of the country as Nace pursued his football ambitions.
It also included a number of visits to Croke Park for Railway Cup games when the competition was at its peak.
After their marriage in 1959, Nace and Bridgie tried their hand at the “Big Apple” and moved to New York, intending only to remain there for a short number of years.
But, finding it to their liking a short number of years turned into eleven.
With a longing to return home, they planned to settle and buy a hotel in the west of Ireland. After a number of searches, they finally settled on the Sancta Maria and a fruitful relationship with Strandhill was born.
The community took them to their hearts and soon Bridgie was one of the locals.
Bridgie lost her beloved Nace in 1987 after a brave battle with cancer.
While others might have been tempted to close shop, Bridgie continued her work with the hotel, ensuring that it remained a focal point for locals and a venue for weddings and other functions.
After eventually selling the hotel, she enjoyed a number of years of good health.
She was a familiar figure in her local church, helping out as often as necessary, but with as little fuss as possible.
In recent years her physical health began to give way but her spirit remained strong to the last, and the generosity, quick wit and ability to put someone in their place when she felt they were talking nonsense never dimmed.
She bore her poor health bravely and always with a concern for others above herself, a hallmark of her life.
She passed away as she would have wished, at home and in regular daily contact with friends and family.
It was widely remarked at her funeral that it felt like the end of an era, with the passing of a hard working but generous woman who brought so much to the community of Strandhill and her wider friends and family.
She will be sadly missed by all who knew her.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis. -Emmet Healy