Notes
Note N1
Index
Weight at birth: 6lb. 13 oz.
Time of birth: 3:45 P.M.
Length: 20 "
Notes
Note N2
Index
Weight at birth: 7 lb. 0 oz.
Time of birth: 12:38 A.M.
Length: 21 1/2"
Notes
Note N3
Index
Weight at birth: 7 lb. 1 oz.
Time of birth: 3:39 A.M.
Length: 20 "
Notes
Note N4
Index
Weight at birth: 6 lb. 1 oz.
Time of birth: 10:43 A.M. .
Length: 20 1/2"
Notes
Note N5
Index
FAHY (Skibbereen): On March 31, 2005, at Bantry General Hospital, ISAAC, beloved husband of the late Kathleen (nee McCarthy), St. Fachtna's Terrace, brother of the late David, loving father of Bernard, Karina, Frank, Tony and Paul. Sadly missed by his family, son-in-law Andrew, grandchildren, brother of Bill, Ina, John Joe, Isabella and Frank, nephews, nieces, relatives, neighbours and friends. RIP. Removal from Romie O'Donovan's Funeral Home today (Friday) at 6.30pm to the Cathedral, Skibbereen. Requiem Mass tomorrow (Saturday) at 11.30am. Funeral immediately afterwards to the New Cemetery.
The removal and funeral went off very well and the weather was particularly kind to us on each of the days with the sun shining and air temperatures quite high for the time of year.As you probably know Isaac was a member of the town band for almost all of his life and they attended at the church on the day of his funeral and played appropriate music including Abide with Me, Nearer my God To Thee and Soul of my Saviour.during the Requiem Mass. They preceded the funeral cortege through the streets of the town at slow march playing the Dead March from Saul and at the cemetery played the Last Post and Reveille. Many business premises in town closed their doors for business as the funeral passed by and the police controlled traffic and saluted the hearse as it passed by. It was a lovely tribute and it was greatly appreciated by everybody in the family and the large numbers that attended the funeral. I delivered a short eulogy at the church (copy attached) which was applauded loudly by the congregation, (not for my delivery but for the content). Isaac despite his many flaws (we all have them to some extent) was very well liked and respected in the community, especially for his musical ability and understanding. Even his behaviour when he was drunk (never????) was put down to his love of music and his inability to contain it within him without expressing it externally by conducting the source of the music even if it was a radio or other canned variety. There were not very many times throughout our lives when I was proud of my brother Isaac but April 2, 2005 was one that will remain with me for a long time as the town and people of Skibbereen and his family did him proud.
Eulogy for Isaac who died 31/03/2005.
Composed and delivered by Frank Fahy Senior on 02/04/2005 at
St. Patrick's Pro-Cathedral Skibbereen
We're here today to bid farewell to a loving father, a loved brother and a totally devoted grandfather. The first person that rang me from outside the family on Thursday when the news of Isaacs death broke in town, described Isaac as a gentle soul and possibly for the first time in my life I gave serious thought as to how Isaac should be described and came to the conclusion that a gentle soul described him very well. I have never known him to hurt anyone knowingly in all our time together both in the family and in the workplace. Isie as his friends and family more commonly knew him, was born in 1935 and at the early age of ten he found the love of his life when he became a member of St. Fachtnas Silver Band. This love of making music remained with him throughout his life and I am sure that he is very proud today to be looking down and listening to the musical tribute being played for him by St. Fachtnas Silver Band and is very honoured to be buried in the band's uniform. I want the members of the band to know how deeply the family appreciate their presence here today and I know that Isaac would be extremely proud and honoured that you are here also. Isie was never happier than when he was making music on one of the many instruments he played with great talent and competence. When arthritis affected his fingers making it difficult for him to play the smaller keyed instruments, he played trombone and the larger keyed instruments such as the euphonium and bass before an improvement in his condition allowed him to return to the Cornets and clarinet. I too joined the band in the 1960s and learned to play several instruments but Isie's great talent made me acutely aware of my own lesser ones and I only remained in the band for a few years. He was employed as a Boy Messenger later known as a Telegram Boy at the age of 14 in the post office in Skibbereen on the 28th May 1950 at the wage of 28 shillings and 8 pence. Less than two months later was appointed permanently. In 1954 he joined the FCA and served with great distinction as a marksman, becoming Southern Command Individual Rifle Champion. He competed in the National Championship and attained second place, losing out by only one point to the eventual winner. He was also appointed as a postman in 1954 and continued in this capacity until 1959 when his love of music pulled him away from Skibbereen to join the Regimental Band of the Queens Royal Surreys with whom he served in Britain, Aden, Hong Kong and Germany with great musical distinction. His talents and skill were soon recognised and he was awarded a scholarship to study for a bandmasters diploma in the Royal College of Music in London, sadly however, due to a minor indiscretion on his part when he returned to barracks in Berlin three minutes late one evening during the Berlin crisis, he lost his rank which disqualified him for the scholarship. Isaac was heartbroken at this so much so that he resigned and returned to Skibbereen and rejoined the band and remained with them to the last weeks of his life.
During this period of his life he met the other love of his life, Kathleen. They married and had five children. For one reason or another their life was not an easy one but they loved each other and put up with everything life had to throw at them. However long term happiness was not to be theirs as Kathleen tragically died at the early age of 36 in September 1988 when their youngest child Paul was only six years old. Isaac continued on and to his great credit, reared the children alone and I am sure he is justifiably proud of them today. I remember at a family wedding some years later, Isaac pointed to the night sky and said to anyone listening "you see that star up there, well that's my Kathleen" I think that in the future we in his family might look at the night sky and maybe see another bright star and remember him.
I spent over twenty years working with Isaac in Starball and as a consequence, got to know him better than I did when we grew up together in Townshend Street. There was a difference in our age that for the most part put us in different company, but I have one memory of him that I will probably take to the grave and that is of one day we were both out on the river Ilen in an aircraft fuel tank which I had converted to a boat of sorts. Isie of course was as sober as a judge as usual and insisted on standing up in the boat and rocking it from side to side. I was terrified as I had not learned to swim at that time but he had. Eventually to my terror, he turned the boat over opposite the Flaxmills and luckily for me we were right over the sandbank and I was able to stand up. We righted the boat and paddled back to Fullers quay where Isie said to me that we should run from there to home so that nobody would notice that our clothes were soaked. I was able to run ok but for Isie it was almost like the Stations of the Cross as he fell three times and making a holy show of both of us before eventually reaching the hoped for sanctuary of home only to receive a severe telling off from our father. Our clothes were taken to Wolfe's bakery to dry while we waited in our beds without other clothes to put on. Needless to say, I never went boating with him again.
I would like to think that the Lord had a great purpose in calling Isaac home at this time and would suspect that with the imminent passing of Pope John Paul 11, he may be preparing a musical welcome in heaven with Isie playing a major part.
Rest well Isaac in the arms of the Lord until we all meet again. You will be sadly missed by all but particularly by your family who in your passing have lost not only a father and grandfather but also a great friend and helper. But draw comfort from the thought that he is probably still watching over you from afar.