Mick was a stalwart of the Lacken community
A HUGE crowd turned out to bid a final farewell to the wellknown Mick Balfe as he was laid to rest recently.
Mick was aged 79 years of age when he passed and will be sadly missed by the whole community in Lacken.
He was born in Kylebeg and spent his entire life living in the same house.
Mick was an avid GAA man and played football for Lacken in his younger years. Even after his retirement, he was still known to tog out if the club were short of players for a match.
He supported Lacken GAA Club throughout his life and seldom missed a match. Whenever Lacken won a Championship, Mick would ensure the cup was brought to the local national school for all the children to enjoy.
The love of Mick’s life, his wife Eileen, was from Ballyknockan, and the pair first met when taking part in a play being staged in the Granite Village. After marrying, they went on to have eight children: Michael, Kenneth, Rosemarie, Helen, Claire, Carol, Sharon and Gary.
Mick was a wonderful family man who doted on his children and, in later years, was totally dedicated to his 17 grandchildren, with whom he loved spending time with.
He worked for Wicklow County Council and was a common sight on his horse and cart cleaning the streets. He was also a keen Cheviot sheep farmer most of his life and always had a love for farming.
Mick had never been on a plane or even travelled abroad when he joined Lacken GAA Club on a trip to New York in 2000. To this day, there are plenty of stories from that trip still being talked about. In the years after the New York visit, Mick travelled to Liverpool to meet a cousin of his and also went on to attend his daughter Rosemarie’s marriage in Edinburgh. However, after the trip to Scotland he vowed never to fly again.
Mick was hugely respected member of the community and his absence has left a noticeable void in local life.
His funeral Mass was held in the Church of Mount Carmel in Lacken before he was laid to rest in Baltyboys Cemetery. The high respect in which he was held was evident by the huge turnout.
Mick is survived by his loving wife Eileen and his children Michael, Kenneth, Rosemarie, Helen, Claire, Carol, Sharon and Gary. He is dearly missed by his family, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, 17 grandchildren, brother, sisters, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews and many friends. JOHN Cave of Holyhead, MBE and a great friend of Greystones, died recently.
John (84) was a member of the Holyhead twinning group from the beginning of its involvement with Greystones.
‘We were all devastated to learn of his death,’ said former Mayor of Greystones, Kathleen Kelleher. She and fellow former-mayor Stephen Stokes attended his funeral in Holyhead.
‘Those who knew our beloved John from his many visits to us will remember a true gentleman,’ said Kathleen. ‘John was involved with our twinning project from the very beginning.’
He always established an immediate rapport with those he met, including those he met in Greystones. He was involved in a large number of community enterprises, including Holyhead RNLI. John was also lifetime president of the Holyhead Maritime Museum.
John was a regular on the Holyhead scene and became a regular on the Greystones scene as well. He was an intrepid photographer for the St Patrick’s Day parade in Greystones. His thousands of photos are now part of his enormous archive, which stretches back as far as John’s earliest photos in the 1950s.
John’s special love of Ireland might have stemmed from the fact that his birthday is our national day.
Sue Williams, commanding Officer of the Holyhead Sea Cadets who has also spent time in Greystones, spoke warmly of John in the North Wales Chronicle.
‘He would do anything for anybody. He was a gentleman and his loss will be greatly felt in Holyhead. He is just irreplaceable,’ she said.
‘Holyhead has lost one of its greatest assets: he was so knowledgeable about the town and its history and he was involved in so many things, and very well liked by many people.’
John’s funeral was held recently in St Cybi’s Church, Holyhead, and was a wonderful tribute to his rich and full life. The church was packed to capacity with mourners lining the church avenue.
Guards of honour were provided by the RNLI while Holyhead Fire Station members stood to attention as his funeral passed on way to cemetery.
‘John will always have a special place in our hearts here in Greystones,’ said Kathleen.