Mr Paddy Flanagan
Tuam and Sligo

The death of Paddy Flanagan, Crozon Downs, Sligo and late of Tuam, retired engineering teacher at Grange Vocational School, Sligo, occurred peacefully at the North West Hospice on August 6 after a lengthy illness which he bore with great dignity and courage. Paddy, a lifelong Pioneer, was a quiet, thoughtful man with a great sense of humour. He was a keen organiser and a great timekeeper. He kept up to date on current affairs and was well informed on different topics. He had a love of sport and especially horse racing. He was an annual visitor to the Galway Races and enjoyed many great times in Ballybrit.
A native of Tuam, he had fond memories of the town, He had an active youth and his main hobbies were running and playing handball. He was a skilled handballer and often spoke of intense games in the Tuam handball alleys. Gaelic football was a huge interest for him throughout his life, which was not surprising given that his teenage years coincided with glorious period of success for the local Tuam Stars team which, backboned by the "terrible Twins" Sean Purcell and Frank Stockwell, won seven successive Galway County Football Championships. He looked back with fond memories of time spent talking football with his fellow shams in Tuam. After he completed his schooling, he worked for four years in the sugar factory in the town. Along with a number of people employed in the factory at the time, he obtained a place on a teacher training course in Dublin and pursued a career in teaching. He formed many friendships on this course which have remained to the present day and which was reflected in the attendance at is funeral. In 1965 he qualified as a teacher and spent the next 32 years teaching in Grange Vocational School, Co. Sligo. On his arrival in Grange he took control of the football team and very soon they were playing in the maroon Galway colours. He effectively left Tuam in the early '60s but he always held a fondness for the town and returned at least two or three times a year right up until illness curtailed him.
Paddy was a dedicated teacher, held in high regard by both teaching colleagues and students. He worked tirelessly to ensure good examination results for his pupils. He ensured that the annual engineering projects produced by Grange pupils were of the very highest standard. Paddy's contribution to Grange Vocational School was not confined to the classroom. He immediately got involved in coaching Gaelic Football in the school, partly out of enjoyment but also because he believed that sport played an important role in the development of the character of young people. Many County Vocational Schools' titles were won over the years but while he derived a quiet satisfaction from the successes, his unassuming nature meant that he always sought to deflect attention away from his own contribution to them. Later, Paddy became the sports co-ordinator for the school and along with Gaelic Football coaching he assumed responsibility for organising the school teams for the annual County Vocational Schools Sports. His retirement left a huge void in the sports life of the school. He endeavoured to instil into the students with whom he came in contact the qualities of fair play and sportsmanship that he always espoused over many years.
He was one of nature's gentlemen and will be sadly missed by all who knew him.

Courtesy of Tuam Herald
17th September, 2009 Tweet

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