Noel Claffey

Deepest sympathy Alan, Deirdre, extended family and friends on the death of Professor Claffey. A truly inspirational man who shared his knowledge and expertise with great passion and energy. He was truly a gentleman and scholar - may he RIP.

I am extremely saddened to learn of Noel passing, My deepest sympathies to all Noel’s close family and friends at this sad time.
I have the most warm memories of working under his supervision of my graduate studies in DDH (1997 - 2001) , He was truly one of a kind- passionate, enthusiastic, supremely knowledgeable and endlessly supportive to students.
His intelligence and humour made him a joy to work with. A lovely man who will be sadly missed and
he will be forever in our memories.
May he rest in peace.

The late Noel's family have my sincere sympathies. Noel was a hugely supportive colleague, albeit always from a distance. A gentleman and a scholar is what he was, indeed. A very particular memory I have of him, is one day when confined to my apartment in Hong Kong due to an allergic reaction, he had spent most of the day on the balcony (smoking those wretched cigars). When I came back from the Faculty of Dentistry after a day's work, Noel had named each bird of prey that hovered over a patch of jungle between the apartment block and the University Sports Grounds after various colleagues in the Dublin University Dental Hospital. For the remainder of his stay with me, he would identify them each by one of his colleague's name. He had an eye and an imagination, both attributes of a true researcher.

Deirdre and Alan I just heard today your dad passed. Im so sorry for your loss. He was a gentleman. Would have loved to see him off. Big hug to you and Molly xx

A gentleman and a scholar who will be sadly missed.
Thank you Professor.

To all the Claffey family, our most sincere condolences at this sad time.
Thinking of you all, lots of love from the Quinns in the UK.

My first meeting with Noel some 38 years ago in the Dublin school of dentistry will never be forgotten, his gentle way of making me feel at ease prior to extensive treatment was so important,his manner of caring for patients and students was impeccable RIP Noel and thank you for your care

I was so sorry to hear of Prof. Claffeys passing. He was Dean of the DDUH when i joined and I remember him fondly as someone with a kind smile on his face, a fun sense of humour, a genuinely nice person with time for everyone; A true gentleman. My thoughts and prayers for your family and for Prof. Claffey; May he RIP 🙏

I have many happy memories of Noel over the years. He was always generous with his time. Noel loved to talk and laugh and that will be my abiding memory of him. He was an acknowledged leader in periodontal research and his work was at the forefront of the discipline. A true gentleman and a scholar. Sadly missed.

Alan and family. So sorry to hear of your dads passing, he was some character. I enjoyed seeing him around the town and watching to see which Alfa he had out that day. May he rest in peace.

Your Dad came into where I worked on a regular basis, Crafternoon Tea, for his breakfast.
He was so lovely, always upbeat and a gentleman.
I really enjoyed our conversations, which were usually about our dogs and his grandchildren.
I am so sorry to hear of his passing,
May his gentle soul Rest In Peace ✨

My sincere condolences to Professor Claffey's family and friends.
He was wonderful to work with and had great respect for the nursing staff in the DDUH.
Always had a lovely cheeky smile. May he rest in peace

Thank you Professor Claffey, may you rest in everlasting peace. Sympathy to your family.

Alan & Vanessa, I am so sorry to hear of your father (in-law) passing. I will keep you all, epsecially your Dad, in my thoughts.
Ar dheis dé go raibh a anam dilís.

Alan, my sincere condolences to you and all the family on the passing of your beloved Dad. My thoughts and prayers are with you at this difficult time. May your Dad be resting in peace.

Alan , to you and all of your family , our most sincere condolences from all in the club on the passing of your father.

Dee - so sorry to hear of your loss. Thinking of you at this difficult time.

I first met Noel early in 1998
as he scooted about the room in his office chair in Dunlop-Oriel House where he helped me with a tricky bit of translation from French to English. He exuded kindness.
I was fortunate to come to know him over the following 16 years and greatly admired his collaborative spirit and contributions to the DentEd School Visitation programme, Global Congresses on Dental Education, ADEE and the European Workshops on Implant Dentistry Education amongst other endeavors. I also saw his wholehearted commitment to and rapport with his students and his total trust in Agnes who ensured that his devotion to one task didn’t steal any time from his next commitment. I will remember his warmth, his smile, his jokes - which he always enjoyed himself too and the way he ‘parked’ his lit cigar on a window sill when popping briefly Into a building! A gentle man.
My sincere condolences to Deirdre, Alan and all who loved Noel.

It is meaningful that fond and warm memories of Noel remain clearly in my mind - albeit that our paths have not crossed since schooldays and early twenties. The word 'empathy' came into general parlance many years later and I realised it described a precious gift that Noel had and that he had been living and sharing since he was a boy. To Noel's family, I send my deep sympathies. May he rest in peace

Sincere Condolences

My sincere condolences to the Claffey family. Prof Claffey was so good, so brilliant and so kind and humble. He was a world leader in periodontics and implant dentistry and raised the standard internationally. His contribution greatly improved the care of patients. He was especially concerned with the care of underprivileged people. He was a great teacher. I, like so many others, will always be grateful to him.

Sincere condolences to Alan, Dee and all of the Claffey family on the passing of Noel. We have many fond memories over the years as next door neighbours in Glendoher. A lovely kind and funny gentleman. May he rest in peace ..

So sad to hear of Professor Claffey's passing. Condolences to his family.
May he Rest in Peace.

I wish to express my deep respect for my teacher, colleague and friend Noel Claffey. We met for the first time in 1982, when I started my graduate studies in Loma Linda. We stayed in contact and met regularly at various occasions over these past 42 years. I have the most warm memories and we will never forget him. He was a brilliant teacher, excellent scientist and most kind person; I learned so much from him when we interacted at these various occasions and I will never forget his wisdom.
For his children and their families, his colleagues and his best friends, I wish you all the strength to bear the loss, be assured Noel’s legacy will never get lost.

Deepest sympathies to Alan, Vanessa and all the family on your great loss. May Noel rest in peace.

Sincere condolences to all Noel's family will miss seeing him around baltyboys lovely man
Evelyn Dave and Aidan

Sincere sympathy to you Alan and all the family at this time.

Our sincere condolences to Alan, Vanessa, Jennifer, Juliet and Annabel on the passing of your beloved Dad, father in law and Grandfather. We will miss seeing him spin around Baltyboys in his different array of fabulous vintage cars. Thinking of you all during this sad time and may Noel rest in the arms of the angels.

Heartfelt condolences to Alan, Ness, Dee, and extended family. An absolute gentleman who always wore a smile and loved a lunchtime chat (usually about Alan) He will be remembered and missed from all at the West Wicklow House, Blessington.

Very sorry to hear of Noels passing .As a previous student in the Dublin Dental Hospital and a colleague subsequently

he was always a gentleman and good fun to be around .He was a mentor to many of my colleagues and will be missed.
My condolences to all the family RIP

My deepest sympathies to all Prof Claffey's family and friends. I have fond memories of working with him in the DDH, his intelligence and humour made him a joy to work with. A lovely man who will be sadly missed.

Paul, my sympathies to you, and to all Noel's family on your loss. The many messages are a tribute to his Dental career as a kind and caring person. I shall say a prayer for him, and for his kind parents. RIP

Sincere sympathy to all the Claffey family on the sad passing of Noel. He was one of life's true gentlemen. May he rest in peace

Sincere Condolences Deirdre Alan and all the family on Noels Passing lovely true gentleman RIP 🙏

Alan, I'm so sorry to hear of the loss of your father. My thoughts are with you and your family at this sad time.

Ðeepest sympathy to Alan Deirdre and all the family R.I.P.

To Alan, Deirdre and the extended Claffey family. We have lost a dear friend--a man of compassion, enthusiasm and humour. May he rest in peace.

I was truly sorry when I heard of the recent death of my cousin Noel. He was a kind and gentle person who loved life. I send my sympathy to all those who will miss him dearly, particularly to Alan and Deirdre, and Charlie, Grania and Paul. May he rest in peace.

Sincerest condolences to Noel's family on their sad loss. He was a colleague & a good friend.

Sincere Sympathy to the Claffey Family on the passing of Noel. He was a Great Character and will be Greatly missed

Deepest condolences Prof Claffey was my nicest person to work with in 1A in DDH I loved and learned so much from this wonderful man May you Rest In Peace Noel x

To Alan & family
Our deepest sympathy on the loss of your Dad .May Noel RIP.
Hugh /Evelyn Donnelly

my condolences to all of your family on the passing Prof Claffey. i had the honor of knowing him as dean in the dental hospital and always enjoyed his company personally and professionally. He was a true gentleman and will be sorely missed. May he rest in peace.

So sad hearing about Noel’s death RIP / he was in our class of starting 1968 / we had such great fun / and he tried to enlist me into Periodontics / had great memories of his great teaching in post graduate and appreciated all his wonderful knowledge / so sad for family and our great friend Charlie his brother xxxx

Sincere sympathy to all the family after the passing of Professor Claffey RIP
A gentleman and a scholar.

Sorry to hear of noels death he was a gentleman and a great man to work for condolences to Alan and deirdre

Rest in peace Professor Claffey.
You had a presence in the DDH.
Condolences to all your family.

Our deepest sympathy to Alan, Deirdre and all the family on the very sad passing of Noel.
Noel was an exceptional person who scaled the heights in his profession and yet was a down-to-earth friend.
He was passionate about many things but especially his dear family.
The world has surely lost one of its truly great characters. May he rest in eternal peace.

Our sincere condolences to Alan, Deirdre, Vanessa, Jennifer, Juliet, Annabel, and Molly for your loss of Noel, father, father-in-law, and grandpa.
Noel was one of my very best friends. We met in 1981 at Loma Linda University and became close friends, a friendship that deepened over the years. Noel was a fantastic researcher, and I learned a lot from him. We collaborated for more than 40 years and had many joint research projects. Coming to Ireland to work with him was always a pleasure. Despite his deep engagement in dental research and teaching, there was always time for his kids, Alan and Deirdre. He was very proud of them and always supported them. I have enjoyed seeing Alan and Deirdre since early childhood, joining Noel to watch Alan on motorbikes and Deirdre horseback riding. Noel was not only a fantastic researcher, but above all, he was a caring, engaged father, father-in-law, grandfather, and friend. There was always time for a chat and a laugh, and if you needed help, he would be there for you. Pia and I are so happy about our good moments together in Ireland and Sweden. In April, we met Noel for the last time and had a wonderful dinner with him and Alans' family. A moment we look back to with joy. We will keep the good memories close to our hearts when we think of Noel, and we will miss him immensely
May Noel rest in peace.

Sincerest sympathy Paul to you and to all of Noel's family on his sad passing. How wonderfully apt to include a quote from Hamlet. I can still remember his wonderful potrayal of Polonious from our schooldays.

Many happy memories of after-work drinks in Kennedys in the late 80s with Noel, Stephen Flint, Philip Christie and John Keogh: I can still hear Noel’s prolonged laughter especially when we were “ dishing the dirt”.

Dear Alan and Deirdre.
I was so sorry to hear that your Dad has passed away. I have known him since he started his studies in the DDUH in the early 70's. Noel, Jennifer (RIP), myself and many more shared some great times and there was always lots of fun.
A true gentleman, friend and colleague. Mary

So sorry to hear this sad news. Our condolences to all the family. May your Dad Rest in Peace. Love to you Alan Vanessa and girls. ❤❤❤

It’s very sad to learn of Noel’s passing. He was a rigorous academic, a compassionate and a very honourable man.

On behalf of all our members, I would like to express our deepest condolences on the passing of your beloved father, Professor Noel Claffey. To paraphrase C.S. Lewis, “His absence is like the sky, spread over everything.” The loss of such a titan of our profession is impossible to fully comprehend or convey—it is truly immeasurable.

I was fortunate to have met Professor Claffey as an undergraduate at the Dublin Dental Hospital, and over the years, his influence and reach extended far beyond the borders of Ireland. He had a visionary approach, recognizing that our society was part of a much wider community, both in Europe and internationally. Without his dedication, inspiration, and tireless efforts, our society would not enjoy the prestige and recognition it does today.

As a teacher, scholar, and mentor, Professor Claffey instilled in many a passion—not only to become world-class dentists but to further their training in the specialized field of periodontology. His academic prowess was widely respected and internationally recognized, but beyond that, he was a gifted storyteller, a man of immense wit, and a genuinely wonderful human being.

Rest in peace, Professor Claffey. Your legacy will continue to inspire and guide us all.

Dr . Richard Lee Kin
President of the Irish society of periodontology

I am sorry to hear this news. Professor Claffey was a fabulous teacher to me and then colleague during my time at DDUH. I remember him fondly; his enthusiasm, his generosity of spirit and always the twinkle in his eye. Sending condolences to his family at this sad time. May he R.I.P.

My sincere condolences to Deirdre, Alan and families, on your loss.
I will be en route to Spain so hence, my apologies for missing Noel’s commemorations.
Amongst the academic community his intelligence will be much missed.

Sincere sympathy to the Claffey family at this sad time, may Noel rest in peace, one of life's true gentlemen I will always remember the fun we had as work colleagues at the DDUH

To Deirdre, Alan and Vanessa.
Our condolences on the passing of Noel.
A quiet gentleman and always a pleasure to meet.
May his soul rest in peace.

Alan.. . My sincerest Sympathy to you and your family on the passing of your dear dad, Such a lovely man. May he Rest peacefully