Pake Byrne

PAKE Byrne, Cloonfaughna, Knock, who died recently at the age of 98, was the most senior resident of the parish of Knock. An outstanding gentleman, Pake commanded the height of respect and regard and was a firm favourite with all generations.

One neighbour described Pake as “one of the nicest men that ever walked this earth”. Few who knew Pake could disagree with that sweeping statement. There was a quality about him that marked him out as someone truly special. He had the most extraordinary rapport with people and he exuded everything that is good about the human spirit.

Pake was one of a family of 12 born to Bernard Byrne of Cloonfaughna and his wife Celia Commins, formerly of Cloonmore. He was the last surviving member of his generation of the Byrne family.

All his life was spent in his beloved Cloonfaughna. He married Kit Finn from Drimaderry and they raised a fine family of five, three daughters and two sons. Kit died last year and the death of their daughter Kathleen (Melia) last December was a big cross for Pake to shoulder in the closing months of his long life.

Pake was a countryman through and through. He was ‘old stock’ in every sense of the word. He loved people and the warmth of the welcome he extended to all he met was of the kind that belonged so much to his wonderful generation of ‘natural’ people.

A man of the land, he was happy and content taking care of the livestock and planting and harvesting the crops. Matters relating to the land were always close to his heart. In that respect, he encapsulated the observations of Emerson when he once remarked: “The farmer times himself to Nature, and acquires that lifelong patience which belongs to her.”

Himself and Kit were a devoted couple who could nearly always be seen together when “out” in Knock, Ballyhaunis or Claremorris. They dressed impeccably and had a lovely sense of appreciating a social occasion.

Neatness and tidiness were synonymous with Pake. Everything about the farmyard or “street” was tip top. He took a gentle pride in ensuring that everything was right and proper. And he had a great love for his wonderful neighbours. People like John Kelly and Bill ‘Will’ Murray and others were close friends of Pake and Kit down through the years but so were all the people of the district with whom the Byrne family had such an outstanding rapport.

Throughout his long life he enjoyed good health and he was out and about on the evening that he took ill and died suddenly a few hours later.

Pake was a first cousin of my late father and I can say without fear of contradiction that the enormous admiration and respect he had for Pake was mirrored many times over by the people of the Knock and Bekan regions who knew Pake as a neighbour and true friend.

He was a man of strong faith and courage who stood by his sense of values and who was truly an inspiration to all who had the privilege of knowing him over the years. We are unlikely to ever see his likes again. In the pantheon of noble and honourable people, Pake Byrne was right up there at the top of the league. Ni bheidh a leithid ann aris.

A wake was held in the family home where Fr Richard Gibbons led the rosary and neighbours and friends joined the family for Pake’s last night in Cloonfaughna. Removal took place the following evening from the family home to Knock Church with burial in the local cemetery following the celebration of Requiem Mass.

In his homily, Msgr Joe Quinn spoke eloquently of Pake’s contribution to the life of Knock parish over the decades. He told the congregation that Pake was the eldest resident of the parish. “With Pake’s death, a living link with our past and our heritage has now been severed and we are all the poorer for that. He lived through every decade of the 20th century and into the first decade of the 21st.

“Born before the birth of our own State, he was one of that great generation who helped to lay the foundations for the prosperity and the good life we enjoy today. Through his hard work and honesty, neighbourliness, good example and uprightness, family life and practising his faith were of great importance to Pake, and, with his good wife Kit, so were handing these things on within the family and community.

“Pake and people of his generation were rooted, rooted in the land and family life, in their native place, rooted in their faith in God and their community, they were people with deep roots and we know that what has deep roots produces abundant fruits. Pake was one of nature’s gentlemen. He lived by values that command respect in every generation,  gentleness, kindness, dependability, honesty, faithfulness, neighbourliness.

“Pake and his wife Kit were an extremely devoted and happy couple and we all remember how he supported and cared for her through her declining years before her death a year and a half ago. He experienced the pain and sadness that no parent ever wants to experience with the death of his daughter Kathleen a few months ago.

“We give thanks for all the times Pake worshipped in this church and I can still see himself and his wife there in the front seat in front of Our Lady’s picture. We give gratitude for his long life and all the goodness that emanated from his life. When Pake was born, it was just 30 years after the Knock Apparition and I am sure that he would have heard his parents and grandparents speak about this event that made Knock known and special and sacred all over the world,” said Msgr Quinn.

Pake, who was predeceased by his wife Kit and by his daughter Kathleen (Melia), and by all his brothers and sisters, is survived by his sons, Brian and Donal, daughters, Celia and Josephine, daughter-in-law Marian, sons-in-law, Pat Melia (Garrafrauns), Noel Farrell (Clonee, Co Meath), and Neil Guilfoyle (Shanahoe, Abbeyleix), grandchildren, nephews, nieces, relatives, neighbours and many friends. - MC.