Sadness at passing of Killawalla community stalwart Tom Tracey

There was sadness over the Christmas period when the news broke of the passing of Killawalla native Tom Tracey. The 72-year-old died on Christmas Day after a brave battle over many years with Parkinson’s Disease.

Huge crowds attended both Tom’s reposing at Killawalla Community Centre and his funeral Mass in St Patrick’s Church in Killawalla, which is next door to Tom’s home in the centre of Killawalla village.

Tom was very well-known throughout the region having worked for 30 years as a porter in Mayo University Hospital and he was involved in almost every aspect of life in Killawalla village down through the years.

Tom’s funeral Mass was said by his brother Fr Michael Tracey accompanied by Fr Michael Farragher, PP; Fr Jim Walsh, Fr Gerry Burns and Deacon James McLoughlin. At the beginning of the Mass, symbols of Tom’s life were brought to the altar by family members; family photos, his hospital workshirt, a copy of The Mayo News, the keys of his tractor, a copy of the Killawalla parish magazine, his video camera, a geneology book, and his favourite songbooks.

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In a heartfelt eulogy, Tom’s son Liam recalled that his Dad was born in Killawalla in 1953 to his parents Mary Kate and William Tracey, the fourth of five siblings, Ann, Michael, Eileen, Tom and Bernie, and was the first to be born in what was to become their home beside the crossroads in Killawalla. He attended national school in Killawalla and the CBS in Westport.

He met his wife to be Mary in the dance hall in Belcarra in 1977 and they were married in Knock in 1983 after Mary had completed her training as a nurse in London. They raised four children at their homestead in Killawalla, Anne, Liam, Caitriona and Malia, and the couple also fostered many children down through the years.

Liam stated that Tom was well-known throughout the region after working for close to three decades as a hospital porter in Castlebar, where his kindness, courtesy and calm approach endeared him to many.

Outside of work, Liam documented Tom’s Trojan work in the Killawalla community, where he was involved in numerous projects, in particular local publications, and using his trusty video camera to interview many elderly members of the community. He also noted his many years of service as the local notes correspondent for The Mayo News, where he documented life on a weekly basis in Killawalla, Ballintubber, Carnacon and the rest of the Burriscarra parish. Tom also found time to farm his holding in Killawalla.

Liam singled out the many people who helped Tom in the later years of his life when he bravely battled Parkinon’s Disease. He paid a special tribute to his mother Mary for her undying love for his father, stating that her devotion to Tom during his illness was steady, quiet and constant and carried him through his toughest days. Liam’s eulogy was followed by a beautiful poem read by Tom’s youngest daughther Malia.

Tribute

Michael Duffy, Editor of The Mayo News, who is also a native of Killawalla village, said Tom’s contribution to the area during his lifetime was nothing short of immense.

“2025 will be remembered as the year when Killawalla lost two men who shaped the life in the village for more than half a century. Former postmaster Michael Walsh passed away in October and it is extremely sad that just over two months later, we also lost Tom Tracey, who also spent most of his life with the betterment of the wider community in mind.

“Throughout his life, through his work as a porter in Castlebar, and through his involvement in almost every aspect of life in the Killawalla community, Tom sought to help people in whatever way he could.

“I got to know Tom well in my teenage years when he was the local notes correspondent with The Mayo News. Although his full-time work was as a hospital porter, it is fair to say he had two jobs as he put his heart and soul into his work for The Mayo News. He was more than a correspondent, he essentially was a journalist too. He was meticulous in detailing life in the parish of Burriscarra and he devoted many hours every week ensuring the readers of the paper were up to speed with all the happenings in the local area.

“Tom loved nothing more than using the pages of this paper to pay tribute to the deceased of the parish. He had a wonderful turn of phrase and many families found solace in his ability to pay tribute to those who had passed on.

“Although she never sought any praise for her help, I know his wife Mary also spent many hours helping Tom compile the local notes, and as Liam said in his eulogy, the pair of them could be sometime heard at 2am in morning using spellcheck on the computer before sending in the notes.

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“In my formative years as a journalist in The Mayo News, Tom was a fountain of knowledge and he was more often than not, the first man I would ring of verify a story or get the phone number for someone I needed to contact. I would say it was safe to say he knew someone in nearly every parish in the county and that was reflected in the huge crowds that attended his funeral over two days in Killawalla.

“Tom was first and foremost a family man who lived life to the full and even during his tough battle with Parkinson’s in his later life, he still did his best to be out and about, meeting the many people of Killawalla and further afield that knew him so well. He will be sorely missed most of all by his wife Mary, his four children, his five grandchildren and extended family members, but there is also a huge circles of friends across the area who will miss chatting with Tom. His genial and kind spirit will live on through these people for many years to come. May he rest in peace.”

Predeceased by his parents, William and Mary, and his sister Eileen, he is deeply regretted by his wife Mary; children, Ann (Thomas), Liam (Paul), Caitriona (Christian) and Malia, his sisters Ann (Pat) and Bernie (Olover), his brother Fr Michael, brother-in-law Michael Martin, grandchildren, Sarah, Joseph, Johannes, Evelyn and Molly, nieces, nephews, relatives, work colleagues and a large circle of friends. Tom’s Months Mind Mass will be celebrated in St Patrick’s Church, Killawalla on Sunday next, January 25, at 12 noon.