Eulogy - Jude Flynn, St Mel’s Cathedral, Longford. Thursday 20th February 2025.

Firstly, thanks to you all for coming to St Mel’s Cathedral today to celebrate the remarkable life of our dad, Jude.

This was very much a 2nd home to dad, and after the home house, I would say Dad spent more time here than anywhere else  

 

Dad had a fall at home in early December and was brought to Mullingar Hospital, where he stayed for a number of weeks before he was discharged home

At this time with home help and family support we were hoping dad would continue his recovery and we would have him back out and about in the near future.

Unfortunately, dad was not eating too well and we felt he was not making improvement, it was time to have him returned to Mullingar Hospital where they discovered another infection and different antibiotics were provided and kept him under observation. After further tests we were informed that various infections had spread and that it was unlikely dad would recover.

Dad was alert until the last few hours and got to meet his children and grandchildren and many other relatives and friends until the final days with still a smile and a firm handshake been offered up to Sunday to one and all.

Grainne and her family were able to make it home from Australia to be by dads hospital bedside on Monday afternoon and when he was able to say goodbye to Grainne in his final moments he was able to drift off peacefully happy in the knowledge he had said all his goodbyes.

Everyone we speak to has wonderful memories of our dad and people have been sharing these with us over the past number of days and I am sure in the days and weeks and months to come also. Knowing that dad has had such a positive impact on so many people gives us all huge satisfaction and strength.

 

Grainne, Joe & myself were all too young to have many memories of our mum who was taken from dad far too soon. It was left to Dad to do all the heavy lifting and dad would be the first to recognise the enormous support he got from the people of Longford and our wonderful relatives from Galway, Leitrim and all over England.

Dad got us through primary school and when we were in secondary school in Longford we would be allowed to go into dads place of work in the post office after we finished our school day. For the few hours before dad finished for the day, we would get all our homework done. When we had this completed we would venture out to the post rooms and there would be post bags been filled with letters and parcels for all parts of the county from Granard to Ballymahon. Dad had great work colleagues in the Post Office and some great characters. If we were misbehaving the guys would threaten to put us in a mail bag and have us sent to Granard for example. All in good jest. 

Dad took early retirement from the Post Office when we were going through secondary school. This would allow dad to drive us to from school / swimming lessons / music lessons / sports training etc etc 

As we got well into our teenage years, and dad I am sure was concerned we would be going into town and not able to keep an eye on us, one day a small caravan (like the one in Fr Ted’s) appeared in our driveway. The caravan was put into the back garden and we were allowed to put on some music and invite friends over. I believe once the friends were able to tell their parents they were over in Jude’s house the parents were fine with this. First summer was a quiet enough affair.

Next year the extension leads were brought from house and bigger stereo brought to the caravan with more music tapes of bands like The Doors / Roxette etc blaring out and word was getting out of the Caravan parties and crowds were getting bigger. Tents were starting to be erected in the garden and in 3rd year mini buses coming back from the night club in Mohill were dropping people off.  

Dad would trust that we would do the right thing and I am sure he might have many a sleepless night, he never once complained to us about the night before and told us off.

He was such a wonderful father 

 

It was when we were completing secondary school, Dad started to concentrate on the Fireside Tales chapter in his life and this would keep him busy for the next 20 years. We are all so proud of this wonderful work he achieved. 

Over the years his doctor, Dr McGarry, when dad would go for his check up, he would tell dad he is in great shape and would say to him ‘you doing that work on the books every year is better than any medicine’. 

Dad was never as busy but never as happy. He would get such a boost every year with the launch and people encouraging him to do the next one and it was such a lift for Dad. Every time he would get the book back from the printers he would say this was his best one yet. 

Dad would take such pride and care in developing the books from listening to the tape recording to handwriting word for word to typing up on computer to making corrections to getting the photos for the stories the whole way to ordering with publishers to delivering every book to every shop to invoicing to collecting payment. He did the whole lot – as once said by someone launching one of the editions, Ruport Murdock wouldn’t be able to keep up with Jude.

 

Dad loved taking holidays. 

With Grainne living in Australia, dad made 5 – 6 trips over the years to Australia

On one occasion, Dad headed to Melbourne with 2 of his brothers, Batty & Fr Tom to visit their brother Matt who was living in Melbourne at the time.

It was a great achievement for them all to make this trip.

Dad would love going over to Grainne to see his 2 grandchildren, Ruby & Amber and sometimes would travel on his own on this journey.

With the Fireside Tales running many years, Dad would often be told at his book launch about someone living overseas with a Longford connection.

The next morning he would be waiting outside Kanes Travel before the doors open to book a trip to somewhere new.

One of these occasions, we were talking to dad and asked if he had any holidays planned and he replied back that he was told of a Monsignor from north Longford who was living in Malibu, California, and he was going over to tape record him and put a story in his next edition. 

No bother to him – did he want someone to travel with him? – no, was he nervous? – no. He just booked it with Kanes Travel and off he went.

We would be back home and chatting among ourselves and asking how dad would be getting on in Malibu and you couldn’t but picture dad driving around the area with the roof open in the car and him and the monsignor talking about the difference between Malibu and Aughnacliffe etc. True to his word the story was published in the next edition.

Dad would go to Medugorje and Holy Land in recent years.  

When he was in Medugorje I recall trying to call his mobile after a few days as was unusual not to hear from him that he was having a great time etc. We were getting a little worried but thankfully we recalled the groups name he was with and checked on facebook page to see the group was after posting online the group all together singing songs and dad in the middle of them with a Cream bowler hat that would remind you of the man from Del Monte.

 

Dad was driving right up until the end. We would have been very nervous of Dad’s driving in the final few years. The car would never be off the road. Dad would go in for 10am mass, come home and go back into town for paper and home and back into town for coffee and home and back into town for lunch.

We would say to dad if you could get the paper and have a coffee after mass it would save you a few trips but he was happy out. It was his system - it was his routine and it worked for him.

Barry Express trucks would be meeting dad driving out the gate and they would have to pull in as Dad was never going to move his Nissan Micra out of the way of an oncoming truck. It was go go go for Dad. Always busy going somewhere. But we would never have it any other way. He was happy.

Another man with a business near Bridge Street in the town, would often recall to me that Dad would come over the bridge and stop suddenly to allow a car to come up Water Street. If the car was not ready after dad having flashed the lights many times, he would blow the horn many times until the car pulled out and John would say to himself ‘there’s Jude heading into town again’

Dad achieved so much in his amazing life and maybe he needed to be a little impatient at times to allow him to achieve all he did.

 

I would like to make a special mention to our Aunty Peggy, dads sister, who was determined to be with us today and is recovering from a recent fall and is at home in Essex England, and we all here Peggy are praying for you for a speedy recovery and hope to meet up again in the near future.

Peggy was last in Longford just under 2 years ago to celebrate dads 90th birthday in the Longford Arms and was dancing the night away.

We are so grateful for all your support to Dad over the years, Peggy. He was so fond of you and your late husband, Michael. We wish you well   

Thanks to Fr James and the other celebrants for your attendance here today

Thanks to Josephine & Paul for the lovely music today   

Thanks to Martin Glennon and the team for your great work and attention to detail since Monday looking after Dad and all our needs which was a great sense of comfort for us all. 

Thanks to all the teams in Mullingar Hospital for looking after Dad with such love, care and attention over the past 2 months.

 

Dad leaves behind a wonderful legacy.

Dad has 7 wonderful grandchildren who adored him and he adored each of them

We won’t know for many years the true scale of his work and the importance of his work to future generations in Longford but we are all so grateful for what he achieved

He was truly an inspiration to his family, his friends, to everyone that ever had the pleasure of knowing dad. 

We are so proud of him today as he starts his next chapter in the sky. 

We are so happy that he can be reunited with our mum after all these years.

I am sure she will have her arms out to greet him and tell him also how proud she is of him and on the wonderful work he did of rearing his lovely family

Thanks for the memories Dad.  

There’s only one Jude Flynn.