Gortnara, Claremorris
Raised in the strong rural ethos of south Kildare, John grew up with a love for the land and the wide open spaces. His parents Tom and Elizabeth raised a family of eight, all of whom inherited a great fondness for their native place.
For some years John worked as a farm labourer before later taking on a factory job in Leixlip. It was on a ‘blind date’ that he met his wife to be, Brigid Kenna, and they got married in Kildare back in 1957. They had a family of four, two sons and two daughters.
In the early 1990s, the family left Kildare and moved to Mayo. Or as John would say ‘17 Christmases ago’. It was a move they were never to regret as they quickly settled into life in Gortnara.
John was a keen gardener and had a natural affinity with the land. He loved to cultivate vegetables and found great peace and contentment being in touch with the soil.
For the past ten years, he served as sacristan at Barnacarroll Church, a job which he undertook with great commitment and devotion. He was always there to assist and guide the clergy and lend help and some comforting words to local families in times of bereavement. He was a constant presence in times of joy and sorrow in Barnacarroll church over the last decade.
He had a great love for the natural beauty of the Irish countryside as well as for traditional Irish and country music. These interests often merged and when he heard one of his favourite singers, Kevin Prendergast, sing about Blacksod Bay, he insisted on going on a journey down to Erris to see the place some weeks before he died.
John and Bridgie (who died in 1997) were ardent followers of Big Tom and The Mainliners and journeyed to many of their dance shows in both the midlands and the west. The music was always a central part of their lives and they loved to step it out and take the floor.
He had a rich appreciation for the scenic beauty of the country and, on a recent visit to Clifden, while admiring some lovely views with a cup of tea in one hand and a cigarette in the other, said to family members: “What more could a man want than this?”
While many people from this region moved east in former times, the Molloy family never regretted their decision to move west. They became very involved in the local community around the general Barnacarroll area and had a natural affinity and outreach to people. Numerous were the friends they made in the parish and they became central players in the community life of the region. “Ne’er a bother” was one of the familiar Kildare expressions that he never left behind.
John loved to go visiting to all the neighbouring villages and there was hardly a house that he didn’t have a cup of tea in over the years. The first house he visited after coming to the area was that of Mary and the late Mike Reilly in Gortnara. Mary remains a great neighbour and loyal friend of the family to this day.
From Gortnara to Cloonmore and from Barnacarroll to Claremorris town, John was known, liked and greatly respected by the people. Among his very close friends was Ollie Conway from Top Twenty, Claremorris, who became virtually an “adopted” member of the Molloy family circle. John and Ollie shared many memorable conversations, laced with humour and wit and laughter.
A man of deep faith, he went to Knock every month for confessions and would mark the calendar when he got home to plan for the next journey. For John, the “Faith of Our Fathers” was truly living still and he saw it as being a joyous faith and one with a lively sense of humour and good nature rather than being cold and austere.
He loved life and encouraged people to be positive about each day. ‘Go while you can and enjoy every minute of every day’, was a philosophy he held dear.
John had a great rapport with the grandchildren and they all loved to visit him in Gortnara. Many were the late nights he spent with them, playing card games and telling them stories form his young days growing up in Kildare.
He never lost his love for the ‘Lilywhites’, and every year would pray they’d see some sporting glory.
His heart rose with them in 1998 when they won the Leinster Final and reached the All Ireland, only to lose out narrowly to Galway in a memorable final. As his daughter Marcella reminded the congregation at the funeral Mass in Barnacarroll, a Kildare man’s prayer was to ‘have the turf home, the hay saved, and Dublin bet!’
John was a good husband, a loving father, a marvellous grandfather, a trustworthy friend to many, a kind and gentle soul whose greatest joy came from helping others along life’s journey. He didn’t leave this world a rich man but the world was a richer place for his presence.
Removal took place from the family home to Barnacarroll Church with burial in the adjoining cemetery following Requiem Mass celebrated by Fr Colm Burke and assisted by Fr Tommy Commins, Fr Peter Gannon, Fr Denis Carney, Fr Padraic O’Connor, Fr John O’Gorman, Fr John O’Boyle, Fr Paddy Egan and Msgr Dermot Moloney. TJ Fallon rendered some verses of ‘The Roads of Kildare’ while members of the Molloy family joined in a rendition of ‘The Curragh of Kildare’ by the graveside at the conclusion of the prayer service. You could almost hear John’s warm approval of “ne’er a bother” at the end of the song.
John, who was predeceased by his wife, Bridgie, and by his brothers, Joe, Dinny and Larry, is survived by his sons, Dennis (Gortnara) and Jack (Liscarney, Westport); daughters, Lynda Nolan (Castlehill Park, Castlebar) and Marcella (Gortnara); in-laws, grandchildren, Jonathan, Darren, Dennis, Marcella, Marie, Mark, Catherine, Jack and Bridin; brothers, Paddy (Kildare) and Thomas (Birmingham); sisters, Theresa (Hodgestown, Naas) and Kathleen (Birmingham); nephews, nieces, relatives, neighbours and many friends. - MC.
