The Late Paul McNamee On a Sunday afternoon, grieving family and friends stood on the on the brow of a hill in Mountpleasant cemetery as Paul McNamee was placed in his final resting place. The words of Horatio came to mind: Good Night, sweet prince; And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest Fr. Cathal Geraghty expressed the state of mind of the community when he said that the accident and Paul's death was "unbelievable". Numbness, shock, grief and regret at the loss of one of Loughrea's favourite sons, is the state of mind as everyone tries to come to terms with the tragedy. Expressions of sorrow and sympathy for Kitty, Gillian and Vincent, Paul's treasured family, were heard everywhere. Paul grew up in the family business, McNamee's pub, on Bride Street, Loughrea, but he also spent a vast amount of time in Roundstone, a place where he made lifelong friends and where he eventually bought a holiday home. He had great pride in his father Vin, who died in the early seventies, while his devotion to his mother, Josephine, was total. In her final years, she was cared for in Paul and Kitty's home. Paul was born with great gifts; he was a star in the constellation that is rural Ireland. He had an intelligence and an astute business sense, and became an exceptionally successful man in the world of commerce. And he had a very special quality, an exceptional gift for friendship. He had a rare gift of attracting the truest of friends - people enjoyed his company, where laughter was the most constant feature. He loved people from every walk of life; he was not interested in pomposity, he valued the old friends but also welcomed the new. And, compassion he had in abundance. While he and Kitty settled in a house on the Lake Road, he equally loved the holiday home in Ballyconneely, which was not only enjoyed by the McNamee's but also by his friends. Racing, the sport of kings was one of his chief passions, and he owned many horses and, when he finally appeared on TV at Cheltenham with the Coral Cup, he was Loughrea's pride and Joy. Paul was a former treasurer of the Loughrea Hurling Club and when Loughrea won the County Hurling Championship in 2006 he almost burst with pride. His father and uncle had played on the previous Loughrea Team that last won the County Championship in 1941 and the cup, fittingly, was brought home to McNamee's splendidly refurbished pub for celebrations. He was auditor of both the County Football and Hurling boards at the time of his death. But Paul did not only support events in which he had a personal interest. He was always willing to support and encourage many other activities. His greatest love, joy and pride, though, was reserved for his family; Kitty his wife, and Gillian and Vincent, his two children. Paul was so proud of them both and looking forward to his sons upcoming graduation. Their loss is immeasurable. But their grief will be tempered with the Knowledge that their love enriched his relatively short life so much. Ray Carver's poem entitled "Late Fragment" comes to mind: And did get what You wanted from this life, Even so? I did. And what did you want? To call myself beloved, to Feel myself Beloved on the Earth. Courtesy of the Connacht Tribune. 13 July 2007 Tweet

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