This article is from page 12 of the 2012-08-21 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 12 JPG
THEY were friends. They were second-next-door neighbours in Sea View Park in Quilty. They were fishermen.
Symbols of this bond between Michael Galvin and Noel Dickinson were much in evidence on Friday last afternoon when Quilty village came to a standstill as locals and visitors paid their respects to the two fishermen who tragically lost their lives the previous Monday when their trawler, the Lady Eileen, sank off Spanish Point.
Both coffins, carried shoulder high, by family, friends, fishermen and footballers made the journey from Sea View Park to the Star of the Sea Church.
First it was for Noel Dickinson, the 33-year-old whose partner, Helen, is due to give birth to their first child in three months’ time.
Gifts representing Noel’s life were brought to the altar by family members – a fishing rod symbolising his love of the sea, a claret and blue Aston Villa scarf, a Limerick flag to signify his love for his native county and a bar of chocolate to mark his love for his nieces.
Michael Galvin’s coffin was draped in the colours of his beloved Kilmur- ry Ibrickane as it made the 700-yard journey from his residence in Sea View Park to the church just after 3pm.
Gifts brought the altar included photographs of his family, a Kilmurry Ibrickane jersey, his Australian hat, a fishing net and a violin, which symbolized his deep love for traditional Irish music.
Mr Galvin’s wife was Liz was comforted by her children, Michelle, Aidan and Brian, who returned from Australia for the funeral mass.
Meanwhile, Michael Galvin’s brother Martin told mourners that he had walked away uninjured from a serious car accident in San Francisco, only to hear a few days later that his younger brother was missing at sea.
Speaking in Clare on Friday, where he was attending the Merriman Summer School, Marine Minister Simon Coveney said, “My heart goes out to all the families who are struggling to deal with the loss of their loved ones.
“This has been a shocking and tragic week with fives lives lost in as many days in a year that has seen so much loss and sadness at sea.”