Ellie McGill

THE death took place unexpectedly at her home on December 31, 2010 of Mrs Ellie McGill, Roscahill West, Kilmeena, Westport, a highly-respected member of the local community.

Formerly Ellie Gavin, she was a native of Clynish Island and was daughter of the late Hubert and Bridget Gavin.  She was aged 84 years.

Ellie had an idyllic childhood with her siblings on Clynish and, from an early age, all of them had a strong work ethic.  Ellie went to school by boat to Cullen Island and it was there that she developed a great love of reading.  She had a particular love for medical and veterinary books and her great childhood dream was to study veterinary medicine.  It was a dream that was to remain unfulfilled.

Like all family members Ellie worked very hard growing up on Clynish and, indeed, throughout her life.  She loved fishing and picking periwinkles and also helped to rear turkeys on the island and bring them to market with her Dad for sale.

In 1956 Ellie married John P McGill, the love of her life, and they had 54 years of life as devoted husband and wife.  They set up home in Roscahill, not too far from her home on Clynish which was visible to her every day, weather permitting.

In the early fifties there were no mobile phones and few landlines.  But, thanks to the ingenuity of Ellie and her family communication between Roscahill and Clynish was not a problem.  They devised a white flag-waving system between both places and had their own signals for conveying a wide range of messages – visitors coming, new baby born, death in the village and so on.  Primitive it may have been, but this semaphore system worked very well.

Over time Ellie and John became the proud parents of four children, three daughters and one son.  Deep heartbreak visited the McGill home on New Year’s Eve, 2003, when their son Henry died tragically in England.

Ellie was a very hard worker on the family farm and took special care of her fowl and farm animals.  She placed great value on family life and always put the needs of others before her own.  She had a wide range of home-making skills, including baking, sewing and cooking.  Mouth-watering apple tarts and brown bread were products of her daily baking and were served in generous portions to all visitors to the McGill household.  She was a very house-proud lady and always did whatever was necessary to make sure the family home was a place of warmth and safety for all who lived or called there.

Ellie loved music and dancing in the local hall.  She was very involved in the community centre, helping out on a regular basis with the provision of refreshments for all who used the centre.  She also loved going to plays in the local hall or Westport Town Hall.

She was very proud of her grandchildren and loved to go shopping for them.

Ellie and John were lifelong members of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association and some years ago they were the proud recipients of the Fr James Cullen Memorial Medal.

Ellie and her husband John were’nt just members of the PTAA. They were active promoters of the aims and objectives of the Association and proudly wore their medals at every available opportunity.

She had a well-deserved reputation as a kind and caring neighbour and she was remarkably generous to others throughout her life.

Ellie was a person of very deep faith and daily prayer was important to her.  She regularly attended the Annual Novena at the Marian Shrine in Knock.  She visited Lourdes on several occasions and was a frequent visitor to Lough Derg for the 3-day pilgrimage.  She also climbed Croagh Patrick on numerous occasions.

Her pastimes in life were simple and, apart from the singing, dancing and drama, she also enjoyed her Sunday day trips.

She will be very sadly missed by her husband John McGill, daughters Charlotte Devine (Islandeady), Mary Kerrigan (Roscahill) and Evelyn Staunton (Knappagh), daughter-in-law Dell McGill (England), sons-in-law John Devine (Islandeady), Brendan Kerrigan (Roscahill) and John Staunton (Knappagh), sisters Margaret Golden (Carrowholly) and Nancy McGuire (Castlegar, Galway), grandchildren Declan, Maria, Caroline, Austin and Charlotte Devine (Islandeady), Peadar, SeΡn, Padraic and Sinéad Kerrigan (Roscahill), Jamie and Emma Staunton (Knappagh), Joe and Evelyn McGill (England), great-grandchildren Charley and Henry McGill (England) and Katelyn Devine (Islandeady), nieces, nephews, cousins, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, neighbours and a wide circle of friends.

Ellie was predeceased by her son Henry (England), brothers, baby Hubert Gavin and Paddy Gavin (Clynish), sisters Teresa Moran (Australia) and Agnes Nolan (Ardkeen, Kilmeena).

Following the traditional wake at the family home removal took place to McGing’s Funeral Home, Westport and from there to St Brendan’s Church, Myna, Kilmeena, where Fr Jim Walsh, PP and Fr MicheΡl Mac Gréil officiated at the reception ceremony.  Earlier Fr Karl Burns called to the family home where he led prayers for the repose of Ellie’s soul.

Fr Jim Walsh was the celebrant of Ellie’s Funeral Mass.  Prior to the Mass gifts symbolic of her life were brought to the altar by her grandchildren.  Austin Devine brought up a miniature boat representing her great love of the sea.  Jamie Staunton brought up a family photo reflecting her great love of family.  The flowers brought up by Emma Staunton depicted Ellie’s great love of nature.  Charlotte Devine brought a book to the altar, an indication of Ellie’s great love of reading and Ellie’s Fr Cullen Memorial Medal was brought to the altar by Caroline Devine, recognition of her commitment to the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association throughout her life.

The lessons were read by Ellie’s nieces Julie Golden-Lavelle (Carrowholly and Limerick) and Mary Gavin-Hughes (Clynish Island and Newport).  Prayers of the Faithful were read by Sinéad Kerrigan, Evelyn Staunton, SeΡn Kerrigan, Padraic Kerrigan, Maria Devine and John Staunton.  The gifts of bread and wine were brought to the altar by Ellie’s daughters Charlotte and Mary and a post-Communion eulogy was given by Ellie’s grandson Declan Devine.

In the Mass homily Fr Jim Walsh paid tribute to Ellie for her great devotion to her husband, family and community.  She was a person of very deep faith and that faith had sustained her at times of great sadness in her life and especially following the death of her son Henry.

Fr Walsh conveyed the sympathy of the people of the parish and far beyond to Ellie’s husband John and family on their sad loss.

Family members and friends carried Ellie’s coffin shoulder-high to Myna Cemetery where she was laid to rest in the family grave beside her son Henry.  It was a warm community gesture that this modest lady, who never sought the limelight, would have been very honoured by.

May her kind and gentle soul have peaceful rest.