OBITUARY: Cyril Finnegan was ‘a gentleman and a family man’

There was widespread sorrow on the death of Cyril Finnegan, Ait mo Chroi, Feede, Mountpleasant, Dundalk who passed away peacefully at home on Sunday the 19th of April 2020 surrounded by his loving family. Cyril was born on the 13th of March 1959 to his parents Peter and Gertrude, Feede.

Cyril was the beloved husband of Angela (nee Lennon) and devoted father to Charlene, Wayne, Tara, Mark and Avril.

He was the cherished “Gran-Gran” of Saoirse, Amy, Priya, Aoife, Khloe, Sam and Isabella and he will be sadly missed by his sister Ursula Cumiskey, brothers Ambrose and Declan and all of his wider circle of family and friends both in Ireland and England. Cyril is remembered for being a gentleman who personified kindness.

Cyril was educated in Faughart N.S. and The Marist College Dundalk.

On leaving school Cyril went to train as a chef in Athlone I.T. and in The Prince of Wales Hotel, Athlone where he met his wife Angela. Cyril was welcomed into the Lennon family and the Athlone community and he made many friends during his time there.

Angela and Cyril were married in 1982, having met when they were just 16. After working in well renowned hotels both in Dublin and London Cyril returned to work in the Ballymascanlon House Hotel where he worked for over 30 years.

Many of his old colleagues wrote letters about his mentorship and happy memories of working alongside him and Cyril took great pride in his work as Head Chef.

Cyril and Angela then built the family home in Feede, Mountpleasant where Cyril was happiest living amongst his friends and family. Appropriately named Ait mo Chroi, “Place of my heart” it was a perfect name for such a happy home.

Cyril was very involved in local community with a lot of time dedicated to founding the underage Faughart Rovers teams.

Cyril gave many children in the area great memories of happy times playing football.

When Cyril passed away, many Faughart Rovers players from all over the world and neighbours children wrote beautiful letters to the family to express the impact that he had on their lives. Many fondly remembered their younger days and they all recalled Cyril’s motto of “every child gets a game”. Winning never matter to Cyril, having fun and giving it a go was his priority.

Cyril had a great repertoire with the youth and during one fundraising night they surprised him with the presentation of a beautiful personalised trophy to “Sydsey” thanking him for his countless hours, patience and encouragement.

Cyril had a lot of energy and ambition and in December 2018 he opened the Coffee Depot at the Longwalk, Dundalk. Cyril was looking forward to a new venture and enjoyed the planning involved in setting up the café.

Cyril’s generous portions and friendly smile quickly established the Coffee Depot as a warm and welcoming place.

He loved meeting new people and always took time for the customers.

Cyril was very much a family man. Every occasion was celebrated and the door of the home in Feede was always open to old and new friends. Cyril loved company and entertaining in his home and no-on ever left hungry. His great pride and joy was his grandchildren. Affectionately known as “Gran Gran” they loved to visit him in Feede and go for walks and they would sit for hours chatting and playing. Cyril loved nothing more than drinking a cup of tea while they put on dances and performances for him and their Nana.

The proud owner of a Nokia 3210, Cyril phoned all his children daily and loved going for spins around the county to visit his grandchildren and in later years they enjoyed booking into the Shamrock Lodge in Athlone to reunite with extended family and friends.

Cyril had a calm demeanor and was very popular and his family were overwhelmed by the beautiful letters they received from across the globe and the outpouring of generosity and kindness from his neighbours and friends, from the time of his diagnosis to even the present day.

Many masses were said, candles lit and cakes left at the door. Everyone offered their help both day and night and his family are forever grateful for this.

In spite of the Covid – 19 restrictions, friends, colleagues and neighbours lined the road from Quinns Funeral Home right out to his home in Feede.

On the day of his funeral hundreds of people lined the roads for his final journey from Feede to St Brigid's Church, Kilcurry.

On arrival in Kilcurry there were two guards of honor, one was his colleagues in the Ballymascanlon and the other were Fine Gael party members.

As Cyril passed away during the Covid – 19 lockdown many people who would have been there were unable to, but his requiem mass was live streamed and watched all over the world.

The family were fortunate to have a beautiful mass and were extremely grateful for the kindness and compassion that Fr Seamus White showed the family, and to Cyril during his illness.

The music was sung beautifully by Niall Cunningham accompanied by Fidelma Bellew on the organ with the songs carefully chosen by Cyril's family.

Readings were read by Cyrils sons Wayne and Mark, prayers of the faithful were Alan Duff, Martina Sheridan, Katie Sheridan, Ursula Cumiskey and Seamus Lennon.

At the end of the mass his daughter Tara gave a beautiful, heartfelt eulogy. Christy Cooney and Peader Rafferty played a rendition of Rock and Roll Kids before the cortege proceeded to the graveyard.

Cyril is predeceased by his parents Peter and Gertrude and his brothers Martin and Matthew and also his father-in-law James Lennon, Athlone.

Cyril is survived by his loving wife Angela, his devoted children Charlene Duff, Ardee, Wayne, Tara Rafferty, Mullaghbawn, Mark, Galway and Avril as well as their partners Alan, Gary, Bryan and Criona and by his beloved grandchildren Saoirse, Amy, Priya, Aoife, Khloe, Sam and Isabella. Cyril is sadly missed by his sister, brothers, mother-in-law Kathleen Lennon, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and wider family circle.

The family hope to hold a special memorial mass for Cyril at a later date when restrictions are lifted.