OBITUARY: Tributes to local councillor, hurling force and a loving husband

The late Jimmy Collins, Toberaheena, Clonmel is fondly remembered as a great community man, a popular work colleague, trade unionist, local councillor and one of the main driving forces behind the promotion of hurling among young people in his native town.

He is also remembered by his heart-broken family for the love, care and devotion to his late wife Bríd during the final years of her illness.

Jimmy died on June 29, 2023, just one year after the death of Bríd, and his children Ger, Brídín, Eddie, Joe and Jim will always remember the care he gave their mother, and know that she may have passed away sooner without that care.

It was typical of Jimmy’s nature, his total devotion to family and a huge commitment to the betterment of Clonmel and its people.

He has been described as a ‘perfect gentleman’ in many of the tributes since his death.

Jimmy was always popular with all those he met during the various phases of very full life.

In the late 1970s, he was nominated for Clonmel Person of the Year among such fellow luminaries as Mick Delahunty, Dr. Pat O’Callaghan and Mary Cummins.

More recently his grand-daughter Eimear, when asked in school to write an essay on her hero, had no hesitation in choosing her granddad.

Jimmy loved his grandchildren, always looking out for them and encouraging them. When they were younger, he loved to bring them to Marlfield Lake to feed the ducks. He also loved to feed the birds in his garden as Bríd had enjoyed watching them feeding so much.

Jimmy’s caring nature was much the same throughout his working career, in Willie Corbett’s, the Sporting Press, Merck Sharp and Dohme; in voluntary organisations such as St. Vincent de Paul and the Knights of Malta; in trade union affairs; as a local councillor on Clonmel Corporation; and throughout his long-standing involvement in the GAA, at local and county level.

Although always a proud Clonmel man, Jimmy had north Tipperary roots, born on January 13, 1935, the son of Joe Collins, a native of Toomevara, and Mary (née Patterson), originally from Borrisoleigh.

As a young man he was very musical and joined Clonmel Pipe Band where he was a very proficient pipe player.

His son Eddie recalled at the Requiem Mass in St. Mary’s Church, Irishtown, that when Jimmy retired from work in 2000, he arrived home to Bríd, telling her that he had bought a set of bagpipes.

“My mother quickly replied that he wouldn’t be playing them in the house”, Eddie told the congregation.

Jimmy began his working career as a printer, serving his time to Willie Corbett, before joining The Sporting Press where he was foreman.

He also became involved in trade union affairs at the time.

He was a member of the National Graphical Association, was chairman of the Clonmel branch of the Labour Party, assistant secretary of the Trades and Labour Council, as well as a Labour Party member of Clonmel Corporation.

An avid reader all his life, Jimmy always encouraged his children to read widely as well.

He was also involved in furthering his own education at the time, taking courses on industrial relations and economic planning, as well as completing a supervisor’s course under the Irish Management Institute. His commitment to the town and its well-being saw him serve as a councillor on Clonmel Corporation from 1967 to 1972.

In 1973 Jimmy joined Merck Sharp and Dohme (now known as MSD Ireland) at their Ballydine plant where he remained until his retirement in 2000.

On one six month training trip to Rahway in New Jersey, he was joined by his wife Bríd for a month and they enjoyed a wonderful time in the US.

When he returned, he spent the next few years in Ballydine commissioning the new factory with his colleagues and when they began to manufacture in 1977, he started his job as a Shift Manager in what was known as “The Wet End” where the drugs and intermediates were manufactured.

He came off shift after about five years as it interfered with his GAA commitments and went into a day job as Dry End Manager, now known as The Finishing Area, where the finished products were milled, blended and packaged and sent around the world to other Merck plants for further processing into tablets. After years in that position, he then moved on to Tech Services now known as PDC where he was administrator.

For many people in Clonmel, Jimmy Collins is best remembered for his involvement with St Mary’s Hurling Club, of which he was Life President at the time of his death, and with the GAA generally in South Tipperary.

His great love and talent was in nurturing young hurlers from their earliest days playing, and nothing gave him greater pleasure than seeing them develop and flourish, proudly wearing the club colours at all grades, and for many going on to wear the Blue and Gold of Tipperary.

So many of St Mary’s hurlers today look back and say it was Jimmy Collins who instilled the love of the game in them, and whose coaching turned them into skilful hurlers. He was a constant presence on the practice pitch on Saturday mornings, all on his own time.

In a tribute, the St Mary’s club said – “Jimmy's contribution to St. Mary's through many, many years has been immense.

Generations of young aspiring Clonmel hurlers were greeted coming through the Western Road gates with a huge smile, genuine warmth and a passion for the game of hurling.

Currently, a huge cohort of our club coaches and officials are former players who were cajoled and coached by Jimmy having imparted a love of the game and the St. Mary's club onto them.

Throughout his time in the club, he served multiple positions from coach, committee member, secretary and right up to Chairman and plugging any other hole that opened up too”.

On the playing field itself, Jimmy was a fine hurler and footballer.

He was on the St Mary’s team that won the South minor hurling title in 1953 and the South junior title in 1969, the first win since 1936.

He also played on the county junior hurling team in 1958 and 1961.

He was also an accomplished referee at south and county level and was a great encouragement to others to take up the role.

He was also a founder of the street leagues in Clonmel

In the boardroom, Jimmy’s calm demeanour and respect for all was widely respected and he served a very successful three-year term as South Tipperary GAA Board chairman from 1991. In 1996 he was honoured with a Sean Ghael award for his commitment to the GAA.

Throughout his life, his various career moves and sporting involvements, Jimmy always had the support of his beloved wife Bríd.

They shared similar interests, loved travelling together and meeting people.

When Bríd became unwell ten years before her death, Jimmy put aside many of his outside interests to care for Bríd in such a devoted and loving manner. His family now look back on that devotion as typical of Jimmy’s nature.

As his son Eddie said in the eulogy – “Our father, while not big in stature, was a giant of a man, a colossus. He achieved so much in life and was loved by so many”.

Jimmy, (following a short illness) passed away peacefully at the Beacon Hospital, Dublin on Thursday June 29, 2023, in the presence of his loving family. Predeceased by his wife Bríd and his brothers Fr Johnny OMI and Jody. He will be sadly missed by his daughters Ger (Harrahill) and Brídín (McAleer), sons Eddie, Joe and Jim, sister Peggy (Burke), grandchildren Gearóid, Grá, Eve, Jack, Aisling, Niamh, Joseph, Aedín, Colm, Eimear and Ruairí, great-grandchild Alana, sons-in-law Gerard, Damien and Martin, sisters-in-law Greta (Hewitt) and Maura (Burke), nephews, nieces, extended family and friends.

Jimmy was laid to rest in St. Patrick’s Cemetery following Requiem Mass in St. Mary’s Church, Irishtown, Clonmel.