Mr. Eamon Corrigan
THE late Eamon Corrigan, who passed away peacefully at his home in Boho in March, was born on June 8, 1942, the second of twin boys – several minutes after his brother, Tony. As a child, he attended Carrickbeg National School, and later the Technical College in Enniskillen, where he studied Technical Drawing.
In 1961 he and Tony travelled to Australia on the ‘£10 Pom’ initiative.
It would take a month to get there by boat, and they would meet plenty of hardship during their time ‘down under’ as they toiled to gather money to support the family farm back home.
On returning from Australia, after time spent working on the roads in England, Eamon eventually secured a job working for NIE, which he held for 35 years until his retirement in 2003.
Throughout this time he developed a reputation for being a reliable employee and a well-respected colleague.
Despite travelling to the other side of the world in his youth, he married Margaret Mcafee from the neighbouring townland of Aghahooran in 1978.Their relationship would endure for more than 51 years, more than 45 of which were spent as husband and wife.
It was a union that would produce four sons – Ross, Rory, Daire and Finbar – eight granddaughters, and a grandson.
Alongside his day job with NIE, in 1984 he took on responsibility as Sacristan of the Sacred Heart Church Boho. He would carry out this role dutifully for almost 40 years.
Many in the locality would be familiar with the sight of him clearing leaves, and cutting grass and hedges around the chapel wearing his trademark blue overalls.
After his retirement from NIE, following several years of working as a driver for ‘Rural Lift’, Eamon assumed responsibility for the family farm due to his brother Liam’s failing health.
He approached this as he did all tasks, thoughtfully, carefully and gently.
He took the view that it was better to lead animals than to ‘drive’ them, and he abhorred the idea of inflicting unnecessary suffering upon them.
Throughout the years, Eamon maintained a strong interest in traditional music. He taught himself to play the fiddle in his early 20s, and became a member of a local band, ‘The Boho Ramblers’.
Although he had no formal training, nor the ability to read music, Eamon would develop an extensive repertoire of hundreds of tunes over the decades.
Eamon was widely regarded by all who knew him as a gentleman, in both senses of the word: he was gentle in his approach to life, and he was always polite and respectful towards others.
He saw the value in having good manners, which he regarded as ‘easily carried’.
Eamon was unapologetically his own man, and saw no reason to try to impress others; he had a great turn of phrase, and was known for his occasional one-liners.
He was selfless, and never sought to have anything beyond what he needed for himself.
Eamon had a strong moral compass, and a straightforward, traditional approach to his faith, which he took seriously, often stating “it’s all you have at the end”.