RIP: 'A gentleman from head to toe' - Tributes paid to much-loved Kilkenny man
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From this week’s Castlecomer Notes in the Kilkenny People
Lisnafunchion has lost one of its more senior and respected men with the passing of Jim Byrne in the company of those nearest and dearest to him at Brookhaven Nursing Home, Ballyragget.
Farming defined who he was. He worked hard, was a dab hand at rearing greyhounds and was also a passionate GAA follower, especially when his beloved Conahy Shamrocks were playing.
He lived a long and fulfilling life of 82 years and touched the hearts of so many in Conahy and surrounding parishes with his unique wit. A gentleman from head to toe, he was a legend blended with roguery.
He watched the world go by in that famous jeep from Lisnafunchin to Castlecomer via Tomakeaney/Maudlin. In essence, he was a one-man community alert, such was his alertness and depth of knowledge.
He loved the chat and banter and a cuppa in many of his favourite haunts, from Dollards to Curly Farrell's to O'Rourke's. Loquacious to the last, he was never shy to express his opinion, no matter whose company he was in.
The huge turnout for the funeral was testimony to the high regard in which the Byrne family is held in the area.
He was laid to rest in Conahy Parish Cemetery after Requiem Mass celebrated in St. Colman's Church by Fr. Ollie Maher P.P. Ballyragget, assisted by Fr. Eamonn O'Gorman P.P. Urlingford, Fr. Willie Hennessy P.P. Danesfort, Mgr. Michael Ryan P.E. St. John's Kilkenny, Fr. John Molloy (Roscrea, representing the Ray of Sunshine Foundation), and Fr. John Cantwell (representing Fr. Michael Downey, Diocese of Sacramento).