The Late Pat Morrissey The unexpected death of Mr Pat (Blossom) Morrissey, Aughnagleer, St. Mullins, Co. Carlow caused a deep sense of shock and loss within his local community. Aged 75 Pat, a farmer, had apparently been doing some fencing work on his land on Saturday evening when he took suddenly ill and died. His body was found next morning. Pat Morrissey was a member of a noted hurling family from Ballycrinnigan, St. Mullins in which six brothers played the game. He was a team member of the famed six in-a-row St Mullins team which won the Carlow hurling championship between 1949 and 1954. Dick Gladney, a teamate of Pat's on that St. Mullins team died in February of this year. He played minor hurling with Rathnure in Wexford, winning a county MHC in 1945 at a time when he was working in the Shelbourne Co-Operative in Ballywilliam, New Ross. The following year Pat played senior for Rathnure and reached the Wexford SHC final only to be beaten by St. Aidan's. Then due to a strike at the co-op, he returned to reside his native St. Mullins. Pat played at centre back or wing back and represented both club and county. He played corner back for Carlow when the Barrowsiders defeated neighbours Laois in the 1957-'58 NHL Division 2 final. Coincidentally that was a game in which Pat's youngest brother, Moling, made his inter-county senior debut at the tender age of 16. A fine hurler, Pat was regarded as being as tough as nails and would give best to no-one on the hurling field. In fact Pat is regarded by some people as the best of the hurling Morrisseys. Hurling remained a major part of his life even after retirement and he was a loyal supporter at almost every St. Mullins game, while his love of the game also extended to attending training sessions at the club's Bahana grounds. Pat was forever encouraging the young players, particularly juveniles to keep at the game. A popular man within his St. Mullins community, Pat was, of course, brother of the late Mick Morrissey, winner of three All-Ireland SHC medals with his adopted Wexford. Another brother, Jimmy died last December. Moling was an outstanding Carlow midfielder in the Barrowsiders golden era of the early 1960s and did his club hurling with St. Mullins. On Monday evening the remains were removed from Walsh's Funeral Home, Tinnahinch to Glynn Church, where they were received by Fr. Eddie Aughney, PP St. Mullins. There was a guard of honour from surviving comrades from Pat's hurling days led by Peter Kealy. The green and white jersey of St. Mullins was placed on the coffin along with the Carlow county jersey. Fr. Aughney concelebrated the funeral Mass on Tuesday morning with Most Rev. Jim Moriarty and Fr. Gerry Byrne, after the burial took place in St. Mullins cemetery. The gifts brought to the altar during Mass reflected Pat's love of hurling - a hurley, a sliothar and some of the medals won by him in both Carlow and Wexford. Huge crowds attended on both occasions, demonstrating the high esteem in which Pat Morrissey was held. Pat, a single man, is survived by his brothers Eddie (Castlekelly,Gowran), John (Clossgregg, Thomastown) Luke (Conway Park, Bagenalstown) and Moling (Mountmellick, Co. Laois) by his sisters Mrs. Breda Kealy ( Ballymurphy, Borris) and Mrs. Mary Fogarty (Bodalmore, Foulkstown, Kilkenny) as well as by brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, other relatives, neighbours and his many friends. Tribute was paid to Pat's memory by Brendan Hennessy CKR and Tommy Murphy, Carlow's County Board's PRO at the end of Sunday Night's live broadcast of the Carlow-Wicklow Guinness SFC All-Ireland Qualifier at Dr. Cullen Park. Courtesy of the Carlow Nationalist June 2003 Tweet

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