O'Connell, Maurice
June 28, 2012The sudden death of Maurice O'Connell, known to everybody that knew him as Mossie (Bolly) O'Connell, occurred in Kerry General Hospital on Wednesday, June 6th.
It was just four days short of the first anniversary of the day he lost his beloved wife Anne, who died on 10th June 2011.
Maurice was born on the 12th of November, 1927, to his parents John and Catherine O'Connell of Gurtadrislig, Lixnaw. He lived there all his life on the family farm. He went to Ballinclogher national school and worked as a young man on neighbouring farms. He married his neighbour and lifelong love and friend Anne Deenihan in 1963 and they both worked the family farm together until 1994 when he retired. Mossie always loved farming and never actually really retired from it, having a huge interest in cattle up to the end. They were both fantastic parents to their five children JP, Ann, Mary, Kayo and Jane and devoted most of their lives to their family.
He always had a great interest in greyhounds and coursing and he bred, reared and trained may dogs throughout his life. He was also a lifelong member of Lixnaw Coursing Club and must hold a record of never missing a coursing meeting in Lixnaw. He had a huge interest in hunting, shooting, ferreting and fishing.
He loved the GAA and played hurling with both Ballinclogher and Lixnaw into his middle thirties and won many competitions but his major achievement was winning the County Senior Hurling Championship in 1954, playing corner back on the final day. He was honoured by the Hall of Fame award he received from Lixnaw in 1996. He always followed Lixnaw hurling and Kerry football with a huge passion even up to his final days.
He was a man who loved life, took knocks on the chin and just got on with it. He never tried to grab the world and was always happy with his lot. Material things never bothered him and he never believed in fighting with people; he always said life was too short. He never had an enemy and was loved by young and old. He greeted everybody with a salute and a smile and left them laughing with a joke. But he never got over the loss of wife Anne and now they are reunited and happy together forever.
Mossie is sadly missed by his sister Kathleen, son JP, daughters Ann, Mary, Kayo and Jane, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, his lifelong friends and relatives, and all those who knew him. His loss has left a huge hole in the community. Special thanks to the staff at Kerry General Hospital and all those who cared for him, to Fr. Brick, Fr. O'Connell, Hugh Stack, to all the neighbours and friends who helped out through the funeral, to Lixnaw Coursing Club and Lixnaw GAA for the guard of honour and the vast amount of people that turned out for his funeral and the overwhelming amount of sympathy and goodwill.
May they both rest in peace.
Courtesy of Kerry's Eye, June 28th, 2012. Tweet
