This article is from page 2 of the 2012-07-03 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 2 JPG
CLARE’S oldest man passed away peacefully in his home at Illawnbawn in Inagh last week at the ripe old age of 104. John Joe Marrinan passed away in the early hours of last Wednesday morning, June 27, and was laid to rest at Moughna Cemetery on Friday afternoon.
John Joe was born on May 24, 1908, and would have witnessed first-hand the Irish Revolutionary War and the Civil War as a child.
He is survived by five daughters and seven grandchildren, as well as a wide circle of friends and relatives. John Joe’s wife, Treasa Marrinan, passed away eight years ago.
While John Joe was a keen fan of music and dance, his favourite pastime was playing cards and, until very recently, he would make his way to Ennistymon for a regular game of 45.
He was also a very religious man and made a pilgrimage to Knock each year, as well as attending Mass locally on a regular basis.
“He was very active until quite recently. He was up and about every single day until a month or two ago. He was a farmer and his home was his castle, and there was always a great welcome for anyone who went to visit him,” said local priest, Canon Richard Tarpey.
“He was a great family man and each of his five daughters were all very good to him in recent years. He was able to to remain in his own home right up to the very end of his life, which was a great thing for him.
“He was also a very religious man and he attended Mass every week. He also visited Knock once a year and had a lot of time for the Rosary.”
John Joe’s death comes just days after the passing of one of Clare’s other most senior citizens, following the death of West Clare man Timmy Ryan (102), last week.
A Kilmihil native, Timmy stayed fit throughout his entire life and could often be seen walking on the roads around his homeplace or working on the bog in Corgrigg.
Timmy was also a life-long Fine Gael supporter and was one of the local people visited by Taoiseach Enda Kenny (FG) earlier this year.
Timmy was a member of the Kilrush Athletic Club who won the All Ireland Cross Country Championship in 1938.