Shock and sadness at death of Brendan Heneghan (37)

TRAGIC DEATH The late Brendan Heneghan is pictured while competing in the Sea2Summit Adventure Race in Westport last year.

Michael Duffy

THERE was widespread shock and sadness in the west Mayo area last week with the news that a young man from a well-known family in the area was found dead in his home in Castlebar on Tuesday evening.
37-year-old Brendan Heneghan, better known to many as Benny, a native of Ballintubber, was found dead in his home in the Marian Row area of Castlebar by a relative. A postmortem carried out revealed there was nothing suspicious about his death. It is believed the deceased suffered his injuries in a fall down a stairs in his house. Benny was last seen in Castlebar on Sunday evening after he had watched the All-Ireland football final between Mayo and Dublin with members of his family.
His death has been met with great sadness in the west Mayo area as Benny was the second youngest of a well-known family of eleven. Benny was the son of the late Mick Heneghan and Mary (nee Plunkett) of Lufferton, Ballintubber. He is survived by his loving mother, Mary; sisters Marian, Elizabeth, Michelle, Caroline, Pauline, Jackie and Deirdre; and brothers, Declan, Kieran and Kenneth.
Benny was a carpenter by profession and spent a long period of his working life in Australia, before returning home to Ballintubber and Castlebar last year. He was also well known in sporting circles in the region having played for Ballintubber GAA Club and Ballyheane Soccer Club in his youth. He also competed in a number of adventure races, in Australia and here at home. He was currently working in Allergan Pharmaceuticals in Westport. A number of Benny’s close friends travelled from Australia for his funeral, where huge crowds attended both at Ballyheane Community Centre on Friday evening and at Saturday’s funeral Mass at Ballintubber Abbey, which was said by Fr Frank Fahey, with the help of Fr Michael Farragher, Fr Val Hynes and Fr Ulick Burke.
Some of Brendan’s seventeen nephews and nieces brought symbols of his life to the altar at the beginning of the Mass. Those symbols included a hammer from his work as a carpenter; a koala bear, one of the many gifts he bought for his nieces and nephews from his travels; a Ballyheane soccer jersey, representing his love of sport and fitness; and a flower arrangement was carried to the altar by his good friend, Stephen Gallagher, which displayed the words ‘True Gent’.
At the end of the Mass, a tribute was read by Benny’s friend Ronan McDonnell, while his younger brother Kenneth, gave a brave and emotional speech, charting Benny’s life, where he also thanked the local communities in Ballintubber and Castlebar for all their help during such a tragic time for the Heneghan family. After Mass, Benny was buried in the adjoining Ballintubber Abbey cemetery. May he rest in peace.