Dermot Sheridan

The sudden death occurred of Dermot Sheridan on Tuesday, June 7, 2016.
Dermot was born on April 24, 1959 to the late Martin and Teresa Sheridan (nee Noonan). Dermot was born third in a family of eight. He grew up in Aughagower, where he was a fun loving, full of devilment type. He was loveable, soft, gentle, but always witty. He was very intelligent. His mother bought a set of encyclopedias and he read them cover to cover.  Since then, Dermot thought he knew it all.
Dermot went to primary school in Aughagower NS and Knockrooskey NS and then went on to secondary school  in Westport CBS where he completed his Leaving Certificate in 1976. Dermot served his apprenticeship as a blocklayer and bricklayer with PJ Kelly & Sons, Westport. Dermot then worked in Dublin and London as a bricklayer. During those years he made many lifelong friends and met his future wife, Margaret Hennebry from Waterford.
Following the birth of their daughter Hazel in October 1990, Dermot married Margaret in March 1991 and the pair moved back to Ireland from London to raise their family. Their son, Matthew, was born in August 1993 and after taking a break for a few years, Jessica arrived in August 1999. Dermot was first and foremost a family man. He was a devoted husband and a loving father.At home, Dermot was a great cook and often cooked and baked for his family. Dermot was very proud of his children. Not only was he a great father, he was also their best friend. As they said, he could never stay angry at them for long. While he had quite a serious side, he was always a soft touch with them. He put them first and did everything he could for them.
After he settled down in Aughagower, Dermot continued his work as a bricklayer and also worked as a foreman on a number of projects from 2001 to 2010. He took great pride in his work - “high quality face brickwork” to put it in his own words - and his handiwork can been seen all over Ireland and England. Earlier this year, he completed a fireplace in his own house that was the cumulation of a lifetime of work; it is a showcase of his skill and is made up of many stones he had collected over the years.
Dermot was a straight-talking, quick-witted character who didn’t suffer fools gladly. He was a people person and he had many friends, to whom he became a great confidant. He was a great man to sit down with and have a pint and a chat, although that one pint sometimes turned into a very late night in Scott’s or the Westport Country Lodge.
Dermot had a great passion for the outdoors. He loved nature and animals, and had a great way with them. Following his return to Ireland, he farmed the family land and took an interest in limousin cows. He continued to keep Connemara ponies up until his death. He could stand for hours in the field with his cattle or horses, just watching them. He also enjoyed going to the agricultural shows each year. While he loved dogs and kept many dogs over the years, he wasn’t that impressed when Margaret arrived home with a chihuahua as a family pet a few years ago.
Dermot was very interested in all types of sport. He never excelled on the athletics or football field, but played pool, cards and darts. It was just a happy coincidence that they were all played in a pub. His family knew Christmas was approaching when the darts started to take over from Eastenders and Coronation Street.
Although not the greatest with technology, Dermot took a computer course in Carrowbeg College and after that he swiftly mastered the world wide web. He spent many evenings looking at horses, cows and dogs on DoneDeal. The Daily Mail website was one of his guilty pleasures.
He also loved music,and would spend time on YouTube playing music videos and bobbing his head along. He was a big Bruce Springsteen fan and saw him in concert many times, even travelling to Milan to see him. His family have the great memory of spending the weekend before he died together in Dublin, attending Bruce in Croke Park. It was a great night and Dermot sang along to every song. Dermot wasn’t fond of the camera but his family managed to get a few selfies that night.
Dermot was a great husband, father and friend, and will be truly missed.
The huge turnout at his reposal and attendance at the funeral ceremony was reflective of the esteem in which Dermot was held throughout the community. Dermot reposed at his home on Wednesday June 15 and Thursday June 16 and Funeral Mass took place on Friday June 17 in St Patrick’s Church Aughagower. Mass was concelebrated by Fr Jackie Conroy and Fr Micheál MacGréil. Afterwards, as per his wishes, his family and friends travelled with him and he was cremated at Lakelands Funeral Home and Crematorium in Cavan.
Dermot is survived by his wife Margaret, his children Hazel, Matthew and Jessica, his brothers and sisters Sean, Joe, Carina, Patricia, Kevin, Micheál and Del, his brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews.
May he rest in peace.