Sadness at death of farmer and Unsung Hero of Offaly recipient
Aged 96 years, Tony Bergin was a dairy farmer for most of his life and also played hurling with Killavilla and Offaly and was a keen golfer.
TRIBUTES have been to the late Anthony (Tony) Bergin, Cooleshall, Roscrea who passed away on Thursday.
A farmer and talented inventor, Tony was presented with the Unsung Hero of Offaly award 2023 by the Offaly Association (Dublin).
Aged 96 years, Tony was a dairy farmer for most of his life and also played hurling with Killavilla and Offaly and was a keen golfer.
As an inventor, he won several awards in the Inventions Section of Tullamore Show and the FBD National Livestock Show over three decades.
He came from an old and established family who played a leading role in his local area for generations.
Tony will be laid to rest following his Funeral Mass in St Cronan's Church, Roscrea on Saturday at 12 noon.
The citation in honour of Tony delivered at the presentation of the Unsung Hero of Offaly award in early 2024 in the Bridge House Hotel in Tullamore reads as follows: “The 2023 Unsung Hero of Offaly is a retired dairy farmer who taught himself to weld metal as a young man and used this skill to make life easier around the farm in Cooleshall by inventing and modifying things to save money.
He would share his ideas with other farmers and sometimes receive a little income as well to supplement the family's earnings from the farm.
Forever innovative, our Unsung Hero of Offaly would always seek an easier and better way to carry out tasks – a mode of thinking which has served him well throughout his more than nine decades on this earth.
The retired dairy farmer has entered the Inventions Section at Tullamore Show for almost 30 years and has won numerous awards there. He enjoys nothing more than showing his inventions to the public and sharing his ideas with people.
The 2023 award winner loves life, nature and, above all else, his family.
He would say that he has tried most hobbies during his 94 years on the planet – fishing, hunting, hurling, singing at Scór, horse racing, golf and a pastime he continues to excel at – playing cards. He is a great card player but he admits that he gets more fun out of rising and tricking with his fellow card players than the winning.
Spending time outside in the fields enjoying nature was probably the best teacher our 2023 Offaly Unsung Hero ever had.
He loves animals and wildlife and has become a worldwide phenomenon on the internet – with over 1.5 million views on RTE's YouTube page alone – due to the images of him befriending a wild fox during the Covid pandemic period. Every night without fail for over six months he would go out to feed and talk to his wild friend which he appropriately named Covi the Fox.
Overtime the fox became so trusting of him that he would come to him with a whistle and stand upright with his front paws on our Unsung Hero's lap while he gave him some meat which he had saved from his dinner. Our Unsung Hero's wife, Molly, often wondered was he eating his dinner at all of just sneaking the meat out for the fox that evening.
There is a lot more that could be said about this man but as he would say himself all you need to do is love people and love nature and you won't go too wrong.
Ladies and gentlemen please be upstanding for our 2023 Unsung Hero of Offaly award winner, Tony Bergin.”
In his acceptance speech Tony said: " I am thrilled to have been selected as the Unsung Hero of Offaly for 2023. I want to thank my parents - may they rest in peace - and my family for the thousands of happy memories I've had down through the years and I attribute that to the love of people and nature. My dad used to say, look after people and help then wherever and whenever you can, we can't live without people'. Mom used to say the same. She had a wonderful personality and whenever poor people called to the door, she would bring them in to have a cup of tea and would give them whatever she could. She always said that whatever you give to the poor you will get back on the double.
"I would like to thank the person who nominated me and all the other well deserving nominees and to the committee who had the hard decision to make. I also want to congratulate Seamus Dooley on being honoured as the Offaly Person of the Year 2023
"I remember in the late 1940s I founded the Killavilla Rovers Hurling Cub. We were the smallest club in Offaly and the late Fr Vaughan, rest in peace, who was the chairman of the county board used to call us the 'League of Nations' because we had players from Offaly, Laois and Tipperary, who were legal to play and without them we could not survive.
"We won the junior county hurling final in 1956 and it was a great honour for our small club. I also had the honour of playing for my county in the 1950s, but I must say tonight is the best honour of all, it is the icing on the cake for me and I can say for sure Seamus and I are the two happiest people in Offaly tonight.
"I remember getting ready for the county final. Transport was scarce at the time, and we had no money to hire any. So we got a friend who was a cattle dealer to let us borrow his cattle lorry. We cleaned it out and out down a bed of clean straw, put benches in the back and covered the floor with sheets. On the Sunday morning, we loaded the lorry with human beings and headed for Tullamore. We dove down past the entrance to the hurling pitch in Tullamore and parked away from the public so we wouldn't be seen dismounting from the lorry.
"When we got down the steam that came out from the the heat of all us in the back was crazy. I'd say we were lucky we didn't suffocate that day.
"We had a tough match against Blackwood Rovers but we came out on top.
"At nearly 94 years of age, I can safely say, 75 per cent of my enjoyment was got from the love of nature. I loved hunting and fishing, walking through the fields and meadows with the bees and butterflies flying up around me, the birds would be singing. You could hear the cuckoo and the corncrake. At evening time you could hear the lonesome call of the curlew. Sadly the corncrake and the curlew have gone from my area. I haven't hear them in years.
"And as farming progressed we ploughed up the fields of flowers and sowed a new type of grass so you had a lovely green field without a flower in it. Those flowers were the source of food for all the wildlife.
"We were advised to cut down the hedges so people could see the countryside and in doing so we cut down everything in sight, plum trees, crab trees, cherry trees and the hawthorn. They of course were another source of food for the wildlife as well as the human being.
"Wouldn't it be nice to drive around the countryside and see fruit trees laden down with fruit for people to pick and enjoy. Nature planted these fruit trees and man destroyed them and they never returned. I had two plum trees and a crabtree on my patch and every time I walked through the fields past where they used to grow, I'd say to myself why?
"I had the pleasure of a robin eating from my hand and I could put a piece of bread in my muoth and the robin would fly up and take it out.
"I also had the pleasure of befriending a wild fox during Covid. He would put his two front paws on my lap and eat out of an old frying pan.
"Another day I had the uncomfortable feeling of watching a weasel kill a rabbit and watching a buzzard killing a crow, plucking it and eating it. But for my love of nature and spending time watching it unfold these treasures I never would have had experienced.
"I am coming nearer to the end of my journey now. I had two brothers and five sisters and they have all gone gone, rest in peace. and just to say the total ages of my family came to nearly 720 years gives us an average age of 90 years and I thank God for that.
"So to end, I wish you all the best of health for the year ahead, enjoy the night, safe home and thank you for listening."
Many tributes have been paid to Tony since his passing.
Ballyskenach Killavilla GAA Club said: "Our sincere condolences to the Bergin and Tierney families, friends and neighbours of the late Anthony (Tony) Bergin RIP of Cooleshall, Roscrea, Co. Offaly
Tony hurled with Killavilla GAA over the years including forming part of the victorious 1956 Junior Championship Team, Killavilla's first ever championship since its formation by his brother, our late president, Danny RIP.
Tony continued to serve on the committee of Killavilla GAA Club and as a player.
We will form a guard of honour upon his reception into St Cronan's Church for his requiem Mass on Saturday at 12 noon gathering at the Belfry on Abbey Street at 11.40am."
Tullamore Show posted their sympathy also: "Sincere condolences to all Tony’s family, relatives and friends on his sad passing. Thank you Tony for all your inventions over the years and may you rest peacefully now. John, Chelsey and all the team at Tullamore Show."
The Offaly Person of the Year 2023, the Irish Secretary of the National Union of Journalists, Seamus Dooley, commented: "Tony was a unique character blessed with a wonderful sense of humour, the gifts of curiosity and friendship and zest for life. It was a joy to share the stage with him when he won the Unsung Hero award. He stole the show and his speech remains fresh in the memory of all who attended."
Cameron Coady, Killeigh, Tullamore posted: "With sadness, I note the passing of Tony. I had the pleasure of visiting him once as he wished to donate some antique items to the State.
I was honoured to be shown his workshop and many inventions and to spend a couple of hours in his and his wife's wonderful company. I still have - and use - a hook device that he invented and gifted to me.
Sometimes in life, one meets people that - however brief the interaction - make such an impact that they remain in one's mind forever. Tony was one such man.
He was the definition of inspiration and a role model for all of us.
A life more than well-lived, may Tony rest in deserved peace.
Finally, I wish to tender my condolences to Mrs Bergin and Tony's direct and extended families upon his passing."
His RIP death notice reads: "Died 12th November 2026 peacefully, in the wonderful care of Dean Maxwell staff, Roscrea, surrounded by his loving family, at the age of 96.
Predeceased by his brothers Danny and Jimmy, sisters Mary, Frances, Bernadette Maher, Philomena Tierney and Áine O'Donoghue.
Beloved husband of Mollie. Dear father of Geraldine, Frances and Antoinette. Father in law of Joe, Andreas and Fabien. Deeply regretted by his grandchildren Rachel, Stephen, Diarmuid and Amélie, his brothers in law Murt Dwyer and Paddy Dwyer, his sisters in law Alice Bergin, Roscrea, Alice Bergin, Rathdowney, his nieces, nephews, relatives, great carers, neighbours and friends.
May he rest in Peace
Reposing in Doyle's Funeral Home, Roscrea (E53RX08) on Friday 13th November from 5pm to 7pm.
Arriving at St Cronan's Church, Roscrea on Saturday for funeral mass at 12 noon.
Burial afterwards in adjoining old cemetery.
Family flowers only.
Tony's funeral mass can be viewed live on the link www.stcronanscluster.ie"