Dalton, Claremorris
His name never featured in neon lights, but he shone a beacon in the hearts of many in his home area where he was cherished in a special way.
For many years, Paddy’s main social outlet was his few trips a week on his Honda 50 down through Cloonmore and Ballyglass and into the town of Kiltimagh. Spending time with friends in Patricia Jordan’s bar or in Lil Forde’s was a central part of his life. The two or three drinks a night, and a few cigarettes, provided Paddy and thousands more like him around the country with a gentle contentment and peace of mind. It was balm to the soul and the spirit, and it lent a wonderful and priceless cohesion to the community spirit and ethos of a region.
Paddy Conroy never bothered anyone in his 74 years. His mild manner and ways of the West were of a generation that knew about respect and other values. Mayo was in his way of talking, and he carried that tradition with care.
An all-round tradesman, Paddy was much in demand around the neighbourhood for those small jobs that always need attending to whether it be painting a few walls, papering a house or taking care of a multitude of other such matters.
His wants in life were few, and he was happy in the company of neighbours and friends. I never heard anyone speak a wrong word about Paddy in all the years I knew him. His ways were of the people and the community from which he drew comfort and guidance and his compass was never aimed at foreign places or climes beyond his reach. Such matters held no appeal for Paddy who was content in his own patch of rural Mayo.
He died suddenly at home, and we all got a land when we heard the news. Paddy was one of those people you expected would be around for years. He never seemed to age and could always be found at the back of Barnacarroll Church at the regular weekend Mass. But the great call came fast in the end, and Paddy Conroy, kind neighbour and good friend, had slipped quietly from our midst. Knowing Paddy, he would want no fuss anyway. He was one of our kind of people, one of our own. We will miss him.
Removal took place from the Marian Funeral Home to Barnacarroll Church, with burial in the local cemetery following Requiem Mass celebrated by Fr Colm Burke and assisted by Fr Tommy Commins.
Paddy is survived by his relatives, friends and kind neighbours.
