‘Red Breast’ McDonagh remembered in east Mayo

Michael Commins

TO those of us of a certain generation, Martin ‘Red Breast’ McDonagh was a legendary name. Memories lived on in the folk memory though he was around three decades gone south from Ballyhaunis. In death as in life, Red Breast was in the news again.
Red Breast (85) resided for a rake of years in St Helen’s Park, Ballymurtagh, Shannon. But before that, he was something of an institution around Ballyhaunis, Knock, and to a lesser extent Kiltimagh. Long before the days of Facebook and Twitter, Red Breast created his own profile in our part of this wide earthly world.
Paddy Joe Tighe, Aghamore and Ballyhaunis, who was acquainted with Red Breast and all belonging to him over the years, said he first got to know Red Breast back in 1954.
“Himself and his wife Ellie were camped in Falleighter near Kilkelly. He got a horse drawn caravan in 1956. Making cans and saucepans and doing a bit of bartering was his only means of living at the time,” recalls Paddy Joe.
“His father was known as Red Johnny and his mother was Manie Warde. They are both buried in Swinford, God rest their souls. They had one of the first gramophones in the area back in the 1930s and my mother Kate (Naughton) and her brothers Paddy and Jim used to dance sets on the side of the road as the gramophone played away.
Paddy Joe, who was sharing memories with Tom ‘The Bun’ McDonagh, in Ballyhaunis when I spoke to them, claimed it is a little known fact that Red Breast played a role in pioneering Knock Airport and that’s something none of ye knew until now.
“Red Breast did biteens of jobs on and off for Fr Horan in Knock. They became great friends. One evening a buck goat rambled into the grounds at Knock Shrine and they were not sure what to do with him.
“Red Breast said to Fr Horan that he would get shut of the goat for him so he cornered him and they drove out of the village down the Kilkelly road with the buck goat coming along for the spin.
“When they came to the lonely deserted bog around Barnacoogue, Red Breast said ‘we’ll let him out here’. Fr Horan got it into his head that evening that this stretch could be turned into a runway.
“Red Breast was there at the start though he could hardly have thought what crossed the mind of Fr Horan. Red Breast letting the goat out in Barnacoogue was like St Jarlath’s wheel breaking in Tuam. It was start of mighty things to come.”
Tom ‘The Bun’ McDonagh said Red Breast never lost his love for Mayo. “They were down in Clare for years but he was always a Mayo man. My aunt Ellie (his wife) died in 2003. They had a big family. He wanted to be buried in Mayo. Red Breast was fierce well known everywhere.”

Big family
Red Breast and Ellie had 15 children, eight sons, Thomas, John, Bernie, Martin, Jimmy, Michael, Owen, and Paddy (who died), and daughters Mary, Ellie, Bridget and Rosie and three who died in childbirth.
Fr Tom Ryan, PP, Shannon, was the chief celebrant at the Funeral Mass in Ballyhaunis Church. Local PP, Fr Stephen Farragher assisted and also welcomed the members of the congregation.
Paddy Joe played The Hunter’s Purse on the accordion as the coffin came down the aisle. Outside, a horse drawn carriage awaited, along with four other horses, for the procession through the town to the cemetery.
To the strains of Paddy Joe playing ‘Will You Go Lassie Go’, they lowered the coffin of Martin Red Breast McDonagh into Mayo soil. His wandering days were over and the life journey had come full circle. Red Breast was home once more.
He is survived by his sons and daughters, 132 grandchildren, 260 great-grandchildren, 4 great-great-grandchildren, brothers Tom ‘Stool’ McDonagh (Castlebar), Owen (Aughnacloy) and Terry (Navan), the family circle, and friends. May he rest in peace.