Politixia
There was great sadness in the parish of Templetown among the large congregation of family, friends and neighbours of Eileen Finn (née Tector) late of Winningtown, Saltmills, who sadly passed away on the March 28, 2023, at Cherrygrove Nursing home, Horeswood at the age of 91.
ileen was the wife of the late Paddy Finn and the daughter of the late Leo and Elizabeth Tector, Raheenvaren, Newbawn, where she spent her early childhood as one of 12 siblings.
As was common at the time, Eileen went to live with her maternal grandmother in McCabes of Ballyvergin and went to primary school in Adamstown.
At the age of 15, Eileen went to live at Hanton’s of Stonehouse when her step-aunt Mary Ellen McCabe married John Hanton, and attended Shielbaggin Vocational School during her time there and subsequently helped with the rearing of the young Hanton family to whom she remained fondly attached all her life.
While in Stonehouse, Eileen met the love of her life, Paddy Finn and they set up home in Winningtown and went on to have a family of eight children.
As a couple, they were hard to divide and seldom seen apart.
Eileen was a great wife and mother, always ensuring that the family were well looked after, that they applied themselves to their schooling, as well ensuring that the there was plenty of work for them to do on the farm.
Along with being a busy wife and mother, Eileen also found time and was fully committed to parish and community activities.
Whether it was keeping the church flowers looking well, or baking her renowned cakes for parish field days or events in the hall, she was always helping out.
Eileen was a frequent prize-winner for her baking and jams at the Annual Fethard Show.
She was a member of the Fethard ICA for many years and looked forward to their annual bus tours to many parts of the country, coming back with many funny stories.
Eileen was a very popular lady in her community and held in high regard by her neighbours for her kind disposition.
The house in Winningtown was very much an open house and everyone was well looked after whether just visiting or helping out at busy times on the farm.
Eileen was a woman with a great sense of humour, strong values and deep faith and loved meeting people.
She would always ensure that she visited her siblings on a regular basis, especially her sisters, where on Sunday afternoon a conversation and great laughter would be heard as well as the clinking of teacups.
Eileen liked to dress up for any occasion and loved attending local dinner dances in the Naomh Seosamh Hotel in Fethard to dance the night away and chat to her may friends.
The weekly Bingo was a great social outlet for her going multiple evenings a week travelling to Fethard, Campile, Taghmon, Adamstown and coming home with tales of winning or waiting for one number for the snowball, but it was the meeting of friends that meant a lot to her on these occasions.
Eileen’s greatest joy was in her family, and she was proud of them as they made their way in life and fulfilled the role of a much-loved grandmother treating all with equal amounts of her kindness and time.
The family home in Winningtown was the meeting place and the big events were special occasions fondly remembered,
Eileen’s funeral mass was celebrated in St Aidan’s Church in Poulfur on Thursday, March 30, by Fr Michael Doyle, with burial in the new cemetery immediately afterwards.
The celebration of her life was made touching and personal by Fr Doyle outlining with pertinent attributes of Eileen interspersed some with humorous memories put together by her loving family.
Eileen now joins her beloved Paddy and will be sadly missed by her sons and daughters, Joan, Richard, Bernadette, Leo, Helen, Victor, Sean and Donal, her daughters-in-law, Eileen, Helen, Rhona, Deirdre, and Beverly, her Sons-in-law Noel, Ger and Declan, by her 14 Grandchildren, and eleven great-grandchildren and her brothers Leo, Michael and William and her sisters Lena (Smith), Kathleen(Keating), and Breda (Murphy) and fondly remembered by her friends and neighbours.
Eileen was predeceased by her bothers, Sean, Jim and Tom and by her sisters Maura and Ann.
A life well lived and fulfilled and now time to reap the rewards.
May she rest in peace
