Remembering Hugh Flatley

Remembering Hugh Flatley

People and Places
Michael Commins

HUGH Flatley was one of those gentle souls who had a great love for the rural west. He hailed from Urlaur in east Mayo, an area that lies close to the Roscommon border. Hugh had resided in Tubbercurry for a good many years and news of his sudden passing in recent days was received with much sadness by all who knew him.
A well-read man, Hugh took an interest in a whole variety of topics and he loved to share his knowledge with friends. And while he made many friends around Tubbercurry, he always kept calling back to Urlaur and its people.
He had an extraordinary knowledge of the local families of the general Urlaur and Kilmovee region and he loved to visit and share some time with his many friends.
Many were the cards I received from him at my shows on Mid West Radio. He was a great man to sent a card at Christmas, St Patrick’s Day and other times and occasions. And he also called around to visit on a few occasions.
Words were a source of fascination for him. He especially enjoyed word riddles, puzzles and had a special fondness for poetry. He collected clippings from papers and magazines and he enjoyed many hours sifting through old material.
One neighbour told me that Hugh Flatley had what was probably the last of the traditional ‘rambling houses’ in Tubbercurry. “You could always call around and visit Hugh. It was one of those places you knew you were welcome and you could sense it the minute you met him at the door.”
He was very much one of the old generation who had a great sense of place and roots. He was at ease in the world and with all he knew along life‘s byways.
Hugh, who was predeceased by his wife Bernie (nee Gorman), is survived by his sister, relatives, neighbours and friends. After Requiem Mass in Tubbercurry Church, interment took place in Urlaur cemetery. Back among his own kith and kin in the place he loved so well.