Communities unite to mourn Pat Hallinan

Communities unite to mourn Pat Hallinan


Michael Duffy

TWO communities united in grief in St Patrick’s Church, Killawalla, last Thursday afternoon as local man Pat Hallinan was laid to rest.
Aged just 43, Pat had spent the last 23 years as a resident of the Cheshire Home in Bohola after being confined to a wheelchair following a horrific car crash in 1985, which left him with a broken neck and spine.
Large crowds attended both the removal from Bohola and the burial in Killawalla last week with schoolmates and neighbours from Killawalla being joined by staff and residents of the Cheshire Home for what was a very moving ceremony. Pat is survived by his sister Mary and was predeceased by his parents Eddie and Mary Hallinan, Kinuary, Killawalla. Pat Hallinan was well known throughout the county for refusing to let his disabilities limit his impact on life and he went on to become a disability rights campaigner as well as a respected writer, with his brutally honest account of life in a wheelchair, ‘More than Skin Deep’, receiving critical acclaim after its publication in 2004.
Chief celebrant, Fr Jack Garvey, in his homily, spoke of the ‘remarkable’ way in which Pat reacted to life after the terrible accident, going on to deal not only with his own problems but striving to help others through his work with the Irish Wheelchair Association and by being a leading figure in the formation of the Centre for Independent Living in Mayo.
Speaking to The Mayo News after the launch of his book in July 2004, Pat’s dedication to helping others was plain to be seen.
“I am proud of completing the book, but this is not just about me. I hope and believe that it can help people who find themselves in a similar position to my own. After the accident I learned how to use a computer and have written a huge amount over the years. A lot of the book was written in 12 months as well when I made a firm decision to bring out the book.”
Fr Padraic Costello, Parish Priest of Bohola, joined Fr Garvey at last week’s burial Mass and many of Pat’s colleagues from the Cheshire Home took part in the ceremony, with his personal assistant for the last number of years, Jim Quinn, reading a moving reflection.
Pat was laid to rest in Killawalla Cemetery after the Requiem Mass.