A friend to all who will be sorely missed

Patrick Riordan 1931-2020

PATRICK Riordan of Firies, Killarney passed away on June 24th in Kerry University Hospital.

Patrick was born in May 1931 to Batt and Julia Riordan. The eldest of four, he grew up with his brothers – the late Joe and John – and his sister Sheila on the family farm, which is beneath the wood on the hill of Kilnanare, overlooking miles of countryside around the parish that he would come to know and love so well.

It was here that Patrick spent his entire life. He attended the local national school, where he must have been an attentive and diligent pupil, for in his eighties, he could still give flawless recitations of lengthy poems he had learned in school. He had a life-long curiosity, intellect, sociability, and most remarkable memory.

He enjoyed reading, story-telling, and acting. He performed in plays locally, where he would learn not only his own lines, but everyone elses’s too. So when a prompt was needed, Patrick could be relied upon to give it.

The Ireland of Patrick’s childhood was recovering from the aftermath of the Civil War. Times were tough and emigration was high. Like many of his generation, he had more family in the USA than he had in Ireland. Letters from uncles and aunts in America were treasured and kept. Later, he would warmly welcome visits from cousins, with whom he was generous in sharing his time and knowledge of family and local history.

Patrick’s father and uncle had been actively involved in the War of Independence, so history and politics were important in the family home.

Patrick remained a loyal member of Fianna Fáíl all his life, and at election time was busy canvassing and erecting posters. He was the ideal choice for the role of Impersonating Officer at the Firies booth of the polling station, as noone could match his knowledge of local people, names and places.

This knowledge made him a mine of information when it came to genealogy. Patrick could remember names, relationships and details of families going back many generations, and people came from far and wide to talk to him when tracing their family trees. His knowledge will be sorely missed.

Patrick was a people person. He was sociable and made a great many friends. He was a great conversationalist. He could hold his own in debates over politics, theology, current affairs and much more, arguing his point gently and with humour. While a loyal supporter to his own party, he had a great many friends from all political persuasions.

On retiring from farming, he was able to pursue his interest in travelling around Ireland - the country that he dearly loved. He kept himself fit and swam daily for hours. On a summer’s day he could be found swimming or walking along Inch strand or as far west as Ventry. He was gregarious. He could spend a day at Glasnevin Cemetery and the next day at Inch beach but always meeting people and learning about them and learning history, geography, science or engineering. He was a farmer, intellectual and a dancer. In his younger days, he would cycle to dances all over the county after a hard day’s work, and when he bought a car he was much sought after for lifts to the Gleneagle and further afield.

Now and again he would mention girlfriends from different places, and opportunities he’d had to move or go abroad, but such was the love he had for his native place, none of these could entice him away.

Patrick was a lifelong Pioneer, and took part in their social events and quizzes through the years. He liked to travel to their office in Dublin to get pins for people, or to deliver subscription fees for the Pioneer magazine. He was a man of great faith and a regular mass-goer, and was proud that his old three-legged stool from the time he milked cows by hand is still used in the crib in Firies church. He was a regular offertory collector (‘picking the pence’ as he called it) until this recent lockdown. He was also a regular volunteer on Holy Thursday for the washing of the feet.

He was fun and could be childlike when spending time with children and was loved by his many nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews and great grandnieces. He was looked up to and respected by all, especially his family and his younger siblings Joe, Sheila and John. He was reliable, constant, a good advisor and a caring friend and neighbour. He was loved by all who knew him, and he will be sorely missed.

He lived always in the family home, and it is poignant that he died on the same day as his father, 46 years later. It is fitting that Patrick is laid to rest in the peaceful cemetary of Kilnanare, at the end of his own boithrín, a stone’s throw from his home of 89 years.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis. Ní bheidh a leithéid arís ann.

The late Patrick Riordan