| Trade Fairs | Twinning of Clubs | Sustainable Tourism | Young Skål | Education in Tourism | B2B Preferred Contacts |
Funeral Mass for Jim Power
Homily by Father Denis Doyle
Jim
It has often been said that no parent should have to bear the terrible ordeal of burying their child and our hearts go out today to Jim’s mother Rita in particular as we join to celebrate the life of Jim Power.
Jim was born on the 23rd June 1949 on the 1st Wedding Anniversary of his parents Rita & Dick! He was delivered into the world at home in Sarshill by his Auntie Mamie Power who was home on holiday from her position as a midwife from Sefton General Hospital in Liverpool.
Jim attended first the Convent School in Kilmore just beside this Church and I am told that in his first year, there were just 2 boys in the class with the rest being girls. After a number of years he moved to Kilturk national school to complete his primary education. He subsequently moved on to Bridgetown in 1962 where he successfully completed his Group Cert in 1965 the year in which he started work in Whites Hotel first in the stores then in the accounts department. His potential was quickly recognised and he was appointed Administration Manager in 1972 and he became General Manager in 1974 – then the youngest Hotel Manager in Ireland.
1978 saw him leave Whites and set up his own business Host Hotels of Ireland Ltd. eventually moving the office out to his house ‘The Dingle’ in Rackardstown. Though he continued his association with many local hotels in the South east area he decided to get back into the management game again when he took a lease out on Hotel Saltees where he successfully ran the business until 1991.
He had been a long time member of Skal and was always actively involved but he was honoured to become Secretary General in 1993 hence his move to Spain to take up this position.
When I first met Jim following my appointment to Kilmore Parish, I saw him as someone who was Trustworthy, Honest, Discreet and meticulous in his work and dress. I knew that any confidence I entrusted to Jim would be honoured and I could rely on him 100%.
Time and further acquaintance have confirmed these first impressions.
His hospitality knew no bounds particularly for all his family and very wide circle of friends since he went to live in Spain. So many people from this parish have spoken of how he looked after them on their visits to Spain.
Jim’s love for his family and particularly for his mother Rita was wonderful to behold and she travelled regularly to Spain to spend time with Jim.
His family, his mother Rita, his brother Denis and his sisters Anne and Patricia will miss Jim greatly and our thoughts and prayers are with them on this sad occasion.
Thank you messahe by Denis Power
I want to take a few minutes on behalf of our mother, Rita, my sisters Anne, Patricia and our extended family to express our thanks for the overwhelming support, sympathy and practical assistance we have received since Jim’s death just one week ago.
Jim’s generosity of spirit, his gifts of communication, of organisation and his unrivalled networking ability have resulted in a very large circle of friends across the world and whatever he gave of himself to people, we have received back many times over during the past week.
It has been a week of sadness, of loss and of shock but it has also been a heartwarming week for us to experience the love and support of so many people in so many forms.
It was very clear that Jim was embraced by at least 3 communities in his life.
Firstly the local community here in Kilmore where he was born, grew up and worshipped and to which he returned regularly. Since early last Sunday morning, when we were shocked by the news of his death, this community has been outstanding in its continuous support to my mother and to the rest of us with a constant stream of callers to the house, to very practical offers of help and so many messages and prayers.
This local community is led by our Parish Priest, Fr Denis and he has been a comforting, tireless friend to us and particularly to my mother – he has provided invaluable help in so many ways not least in arranging and conducting the funeral services for Jim.
I would also include in this community our many aunts, uncles and cousins who as always on such occasions have embraced us with their support, I include the family and friends of each of us in Jim’s family. Anne and Matt’s friends and family, Patricia and Fred’s friends and family and the families and friends of Margaret and myself have been superb with their messages of support and offers of help to us.
The people who attended the Funeral Home, the Removal last night and the people who are here today – many who have travelled very long distances to pay their tribute to Jim and to be here for us. We truly appreciate it and are very grateful.
To those who have participated in these services, to Dermot Kiernan, Cyril Murphy and the Choir for the wonderful music, to the Readers and to Kay Macken and her team – our very sincere thanks. It’s a sad irony that Jim would have loved this – he liked a good ceremony.
The second community I want to acknowledge is the Skal community worldwide. Again, all throughout last week, the messages which came to us directly and through the Secretariat were very moving in their appreciation of Jim’s friendship and his work for Skal over the past 17 years. The calls we received from all over the world and the tributes arranged were so thoughtful and generous to his memory
Just some examples of many – . the Skal members who came to pay their respects at Dublin Airport on Friday. During the week, we saw the photograph of three candles burning in a sacred tomb in Turkey surrounding a pennant which said Skal Member Here. We saw the photographs from the memorial service held in Croatia by Nic the World President and his colleagues. One of Jim’s colleagues in New York told me that he had arranged for a Mass to be said in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York in his memory. Just some examples of how Skal members responded across their community.
All the tributes and most of all the attendance here of so many of Jim’s Skal colleagues which involved a great deal of travel at short notice tell us that you regarded him as family, that you have suffered with us a great loss and that we all grieve together.
I cannot adequately tell you in these brief words what your love and support have meant to us.
Finally but not least, there is Jim’s community in Torremolinos where he worked and lived for the past 17 years. Margaret and I were privileged to meet with his team in the Skal Secretariat many times over this past week and their support and assistance to us in dealing with the necessary formalities was invaluable. We often use the phrase “We could not have done it without you” very loosely. In this case, it was absolutely true.
I would ask Yvonne who is with us here today to bring back our very sincere appreciation to Dani, to Ana Maria, to Yolanda, to Ester and to Sandra for their wonderful support.
Jim also had a wide circle of friends in Torremolinos who will miss him greatly and I want to mention particularly John, his friend and neighbour who was concerned that he had not heard from him on Saturday night and called over to his apartment. John was so very helpful to us this week.
We look forward to meeting Jim’s Torremolinos community in early July at the Mass which you are scheduling in his memory.
Across these communities, there has been so much good will towards Jim, so much support for us his family, I can only say our very sincere thank you to all.
As our very small gesture, we would ask you please following the burial, to join us in White’s Hotel in Wexford for some refreshment and to raise a glass in his memory. It is so appropriate that we go back to White’s where Jim started his working career, became immersed in the business and started to build the incredible network of friends and colleagues who have paid tribute to his memory this past week.
Many of you have kindly reminded us of Jim’s hospitality when you visited him; I know he would want you to experience it one last time this afternoon. We have placed a set of travel directions to White’s Hotel at the back of the Church for those unfamiliar to the area and we look forward to meeting with you all there.
Finally, by way of farewell, an extract from a poem by John O Donoghue an Irish poet and philosopher :-
“May there be some beautiful surprise waiting for you inside death,
Something you never knew or felt, which with one simple touch absolves you of all loneliness and loss,
As you quicken within the embrace for which your soul was eternally made”.
Thank you all very much.
User login
Travel with the President
