They all came to say farewell to Jimmy Tully
‘THERE WAS NO HYPOCRISTY ABOUT HIM, NO LIES, NO DECEIT’ - MONSIGNOR HANLY
IT was the kind of day that Jimmy Tully would have loved, a day to gladden the heart. Clear blue skies overhead, temperatures in the 70s, masses of flowers throwing out a blaze of colour.
Perhaps it was that side of his nature which surprised most of us when it was revealed during his funeral Mass at the Sacred Heart Church in Laytown, that he loved flowers and nature.
That sometimes tough exterior which he seemed to bear hid a deep humanity. In many ways he was a simple man, uncomplicated, without side, and a shoulder to lean on when times were tough. Those of us who knew him would not have been surprised at his boyish enthusiasm for getting out on the golf course with his two old pals every morning.
In an affectionate way, they carried the title ‘ The Last of the Summer Wine’, a trio truly enjoying their autumn years. Jimmy Tully really enjoyed the last few autumn years when he had set aside the heavy burdens of office in exchange for a somewhat slower lifestyle. Only the death of his dear wife Mary a few short years ago had cast a shadow over the happy times.
Decency was a word which almost seemed to be invented for Jimmy and it was a word which came readily to the lips of the hundreds of people who turned out to pay their last respects on Friday.
It was a day of mourning but it had its moments of happiness in the celebration of a man’s life.
Yes, his achievements were there for all to see, but it was the man they were celebrating.
And the extraordinary popularity of this Meath man could be seen in the ranks of the huge numbers at the funeral. Farm labourers and factory workers stood side by side with Government Ministers, Dail Deputies, members of the European Parliament, trade union officials, political friends. There were some who cycled to the interment ceremony at Reilig Mhuire, one man came by lorry, there to pay respects to his friend.
As a Christian with deep faith, James Tully would have wanted his funeral Mass to be a dignified arrair. And it truly was. For while there was sadness, not least for those of his family who were so close to him, there was also that innate sense of joy, joy at the celebration of ’ the life of a good man.
That life was recalled during the Mass, in a homily delivered by Monsignor John Hanly. He had, he said, a page long list of the achievements of a man in his service for his country and for his constituency which he had served so wonderfully and so faithfully. There were the details of his fight for integrity, for honesty, of his days working to see that a spade was called a spade.
‘ There was no hypocrisy about him, no lies, no deceit’, Monsignor Hanly said.
‘Jimmy loved the tilings of nature, the flowers. Many a person has commented on the way his kept his garden, and that blaze of colourful flowers. There were the achievements of a statesman and a politician, but far more lasting and important were his deep faith, his life with God. These were expressed in his pilgrimages to this church. There would seldom be a day when I didn’t see Jimmy here,’ he said.