Richie(35) wasthebeloved father of two loving children
A month on, the community of Davidstown and further afield is still reeling from the sudden and tragic passing of 35 year-old Richard ‘Richie’ Sinnott. There was a huge outpouring of grief at Raheen Church for Richie’s funeral mass as people travelled from all over the county to bid a fond farewell and lend their support to his heartbroken wife Mairead and their two children Ciara (12) and Darragh (10).
One of six children born to Michael and Stella Sinnott, Richie went to school first in Clonroche and then to secondary in Adamstown. He had no problem making friends in either as with his fun-loving spirit and sharp wit, he felt comfortable chatting away to people of all backgrounds. It was while they were teenagers that Richie met the love of his life Mairead. Being best friends with her brother, he always had a reason to be around the house and romance blossomed between the two. They were eventually married and enjoyed the fairytale wedding in the beautiful surroundings of Antigua.
Family was something of huge importance to Richie and he absolutely adored his two children - Ciara and Darragh. He was the epitome of a proud father and took great interest in everything they did. For Ciara, he was massively supportive of her interest in ponies and he brought her to every show he could with Bannow and Adamstown two particular favourites. Darragh’s recently having made the U11 Schoolboys League Wexford team was a source of massive pride to Richie and he did everything he could to support him.
Richie was hurling mad and it was something he shared with his whole family. He would travel all over the country to watch Wexford, it didn’t matter if it was a Walsh Cup game or a day out in Croke Park. It wasn’t just Wexford he loved watching either. He loved attending Ciara and Darragh’s matches and it was a common occurrence to see a tractor parked at the side of pitches in the area, Richie having come directly from work to cheer them on. The whole family enjoyed going out for a puck-around and they are now cherished memories for them all.
An extremely hard-working man, Richie initially qualified as a welder, but he was best known for driving tractors and lorries. He would have been a familiar face in farmyards all over Wexford and he made some great friends through his work where he was known to be as straight as they come and a man who could turn his hand to anything. He had a huge circle of friends from all kinds of different backgrounds and was a real social character.
‘He’d light up the room when he came in,’ wife Mairead said. ‘He was great craic. A real messer, he was always cracking jokes. He was so proud of his children and everything he did in life, he did it for us.’
Richie took great pride in his home and when they built in Raheen, he ensured that everything was carried out to his meticulous standards, particularly the garden. He loved nothing more than getting away on family holidays. A favourite destination was Florida, where they whole family went this time last year, and the phones would be switched off as Richie made the most of time with the ones he loved.
Thousands of people arrived both at the house and to the church for Richie’s funeral mass to pay their respects, providing evidence of just how highly thought of he was among those who knew him. Following a moving ceremony, he was laid to rest in Cloughbawn Cemetery.
Richie was a dearly loved husband of Mairead; loving father to Ciara and Darragh; beloved son of Michael and Stella and brother to Michael, Marty, Gary, Lorainne, Tara and John Joe. He is sadly missed by his heartbroken family, fatherin-law, mother-in-law, aunts, uncles, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, relatives and a large circle of friends.
May he rest in peace.