Carrickmore’s ‘gentle giant’ mourned by community

ON the morning of Saturday, February 26, the Carrickmore community awoke to the sad news of Pat Ward’s death.

Pat was born on April 5, 1948, the son of Maggie (nee Keenan) and Hughie Ward (Mick). He was a native of the townland of Colaghty and a highly-regarded member of the Carrickmore community.

His short illness and subsequent death, after a severe stroke, left many of his close friends in a state of shock and disbelief.

On May 24, 1954, he began school in St James’s, Tremogue, which was unusual as it was at the opposite side of the parish to his home. However, he was trusted to the care of a teacher in St James’s, Miss Minnie Ward, a neighbour who would collect him each morning for school and leave him home in the evening.

Following the death of his father at the relatively young age of 65, he looked after his mother and the home farm with a respect and loyalty that many mothers would wish for. When she died in 1992, Pat carved out a new chapter in his life.

After a spell in the Milestone Centre, he took a job in the long-established Daly’s hardware shop in the centre of Carrickmore, a place he would become synonymous with. During his almost 23 years there he was a diligent and loyal employee.

A common sight for decades was Pat riding his bicycle to and from the town, keeping him as fit as a man half his age. The climb from Doherty’s Bridge was a Herculean feat itself. Later, he would get his driving licence and the bike was parked up.

A visit to the Daly’s yard for any supplies would be intertwined with Pat’s sharp wit, brilliant sense of humour and storytelling ability. He would transport the listener back to times of yore in his locality.

The joy of the telling would be apparent on both the listener’s and the teller’s face, none of which was diminished by the amount of truth therein. Every day was an education for the customer as he retold stories of turf cutting, potato gathering, tying corn, social life in the parish and other key events of the past.

Central to these tales were the characters he remembered fondly, many of whom had gone to their eternal reward. These included his friends, neighbours and relations and cemented Pat’s great sense of pride in his own community.

A key tenet of Pat’s life was his loyalty to Carrickmore GFC, no doubt inspired by tales of his uncle and namesake, Paddy Ward, a noted player and leader in the formative years of the famous club. Pat’s daily mood ebbed and flowed with the fortunes of the senior team.

He travelled far and wide with his friends Pat McCartan and Kevin Scallon to support Carrickmore and they were blessed to enjoy many happy occasions together. He was knowledgeable of the game and could recount teams and games of the past with ease.

His interest extended to all sports and as a Manchester United fanatic he was just as comfortable discussing the Premiership with delivery drivers and customers at his place of work as he was in the crowd of home supporters at Pairc Colmcille.

Also central to his life was his faith and he could be seen each Sunday at Mass, usually in the ‘men’s short aisle’ praying from his late mother’s missal. After mass he would attend the graves of his family members and friends.

On his rounds his conversations and stories would continue as he met up with the familiar faces that he befriended over his lifetime.

Pat was laid to rest on Wednesday, February 28, and the large attendance at his wake and funeral was a testament to the high esteem in which he was held in Carrickmore and wider community.

He will be sadly-missed by his cousins, neighbours, work colleagues and friends. Pat’s larger-than-life personality and the life experiences shared with the ‘gentle giant’ will be sorely missed by all who knew him.