Mick Quinn was a staunch member of the Longford community in Dublin
The death of Mick Quinn at the end of November brought the curtain down on a full and colourful life from which many engaging stories will come for a long time to come.
He was a staunch member of the Longford community in Dublin, a larger than life figure who, during his lifetime, made a huge retinue of friends from all walks of life, his warm personality ensuring those friends became lifelong; his people skills were legendary and above the ordinary.
In his wonderful eulogy Declan Downs, his friend of almost 50 years and his next of kin, said, “Mick was born an only child in 1940 in Drumlish, well known for producing some of country music’s biggest names like Mick Flavin and Declan Nerney, while Larry Cunningham lived not far away in Granard.
“Mick, too, caught the singing bug and is fondly remembered for starring in many concerts in Drumlish during his boyhood years. Among his performances then were ‘On Top of Old Smokey’ and ‘Seven Lonely Days’, while ‘The Rose of Arranmore’ and ‘The Hills of Donegal’ were two of his favourites during a stint with the Frank Mulleady Ceili Band.”
Declan spoke about Mick’s huge interest in sport, “but by his own admission he was a better singer than a footballer and he put his vocal chords to good use as Longford, powered by Drumlish dynamo Jimmy Hannify, kicked off a golden era for the county in the 1960’s.”
Outlining Mick’s working life, Declan said, “He started as an assistant to local vet, Harold McCormack, after which he left for Portsmouth where he worked in the bar trade and he often dropped down to Fratton Park to watch the local soccer team, then playing at the top tier of English football and affectionately known as Pompey.
“On his return from England he headed to Dublin and joined the Dept of Posts and Telegraphs. Soon one of Mick’s greatest assets kicked in as he could give a master class in networking long before it became a buzzword”. Declan explained that from his first days walking to work he had the happy knack of bumping into people from all over Longford and particularly Drumlish; not too many others could report as many encounters, he said.
“On retiring from Telecom Mick took took on a similar role as a telephonist in Kimmage Manor and formed some great friendships there with Spiritan priests there like Dick Walsh, Des O’Sullivan, Mick Duggan and our celebrant today, Fr Daithi, whose companionship was a great source of comfort to him in recent times.”
When Mick and Declan met in the 1970’s their similar interests – “sport, music, films and a strong catholic faith – resulted in a lifelong friendship and, while we were both true blues, Mick a passionate Longford fan and me a mixture of Dublin and my mother’s county of Cavan, where I spent much of my childhood.”
In Summertime the two, along with a mutual friend, Mayo man Charlie Collins, drove all over the country to GAA games - “Charlie cooked the breakfast, Mick provided the craic and I drove the car to the sounds of George Jones, Charley Pride and Chuck Berry”, remembered Declan.
If I may quote Longfellow: ‘into every life some rain must fall’ and when Mick’s health began to fail his determination and positive outlook didn’t. Declan again, “A stroke around Christmas time last year left him with impaired vision, but he battled on valiantly and showed great bravery in opting to have life threatening surgery on his Carotid artery.
“Being robbed of his eyesight for a man of encyclopedic knowledge, which was fuelled by his passion for reading, crosswords and quizzes was quite a challenge. However, in his final few months radio was one of his greatest companions and he also enjoyed audio books from Rathmines library. And plans were also afoot to obtain vision aids from Vision Ireland.”
Ever optimistic, Mick was undaunted by his challenges and didn’t stay cooped up at home – while he was able to get the bus outside his apartment he went down to Rathmines Community Centre four days a week. Jane, who runs the centre, visited him in Harold’s Cross hospice and she told Declan of Mick’s ability to light up the room on arrival; invariably she said he was on the winning team of activities like quizzes and his singing was much appreciated.
In final remarks, Declan acknowledged the many people who helped and visited Mick in the hospital and hospice, including friends who travelled up from Drumlish – Lily McWade and her son and daughter, Pete and Elizabeth, Brian Duffy and Jimmy Boniface - Fr Daithi Kenneally, Kimmage Manor, Thomas Trappe, originally Longford town and Drumlish - who, he said, always answered the call – Drumlish natives, Jimmy Hannify and Tony McKeon, and Killoe native, Gerry Quinn, who had been one of Mick’s work Colleagues.
Declan further stated that, thanks to Tony, Mick bowed out to the sound of country tunes from Shannonside Radio; in keeping with that lifelong interest, ‘Pretty Fraulein’ by Bobby Helms was played as his coffin was carried into the crematorium in Mount Jerome and the ceremony ended to the strains of Declan Nerney’s ‘Marquee in Drumlish’.
The members of the Longford Association in Dublin extend our deepest sympathy to Mick’s relatives, Declan, one of his best friends and the many true friends he made during a life replete with colour. Rest in Peace, Mick