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A large contingent of Dingle Hillwalking Club members gathered in Dingle on the occasion of his funeral mass for one of the shortest but also one of the most poignant walks ever undertaken by the club. We were paying our respects to the memory of Martin whose burial took place in Milltown Cemetery. Club members provided a guard of honour at the church and walked with him for the last time along Green St as far as the Holy Ground.
Martin was one of our longest serving members and was part of the ''hard core'' of 5 or 6 walkers who were central to most of our weekly walks. He shortened every walk with his infectious if sometimes irreverent sense of humour. He had his own particular brand of wit and humour as he shared his jokes (even the risqué ones) and stories with us. Indeed anyone who reached beyond themselves risked the sharp edge of his wit and nobody was spared. However it is a mark of the man that if he could give it, he could equally take it and some of the stories he told were against himself. Indeed one of our abiding memories will be the howls of laughter rising up from the back of the group as Gene and himself enjoyed a new or re-cycled old joke.
He embraced all types of physical activity, be it the gym, cycling, swimming or hill walking. In his younger days he also made his mark in GAA circles and was a member of the Dingle team that brought the Co Junior Championship to the town in the early 70’s. In later years he made full use of the varied amenities available in the Dingle area. He was a regular visitor to the gym during the week and combined this with other activities at the weekend. His routine included a bike ride around Slea Head and a gym session on Saturday followed with a hill walk and another gym session on Sunday.He could also find time in the summer for a swim in Beenbawn or Ventry. All these activities were full on and he always pushed his body to the limit of his endurance. Indeed one of his greatest achievements was his ascent of Kilimanjaro a few years ago.
If he had faults, one was his impatience and his inability to sit still for any period of time. Meal breaks on the hills were endured rather than enjoyed by him. He never appeared to eat and his only acknowledgement of food was a single kiwi fruit that he kept tucked away in the corner of his rucksack. He must have carried the same kiwi untouched for months. He said that the thought of Mary's cooking was enough to keep him going! !!
When walking in more exposed areas, we often joked that if anything happened to one of us, one of the others could have our walking boots .On reflection, none of us could adequately fill Martin’s boots.
He also had an unwavering loyalty and passion for Manchester United and their appearance on television on a Sunday was the only possible reason for him to cut short a walk. He refuted any criticism by those of us who did nor share his enthusiasm for the club by saying that small time operators like us could not possibly understand how major premier league clubs operated.
On our trips away he was always central to some incident or other. On one of our excursions to the Camino de Santiago we risked expulsion from a hostel because he felt that a roomful of over 100 sleeping pilgrims would benefit from his rendition of The Rose of Tralee. On another occasion he fell foul of an over zealous landlady on a trip to Ben Nevis in Scotland. No trip was ever dull when Martin was present.
Martin was proud of his place of birth and never tired of telling us about life growing up in Chapel Lane. Above all however he was proud of his family especially now that his grandchildren had arrived and he spoke of his hopes and dreams for them for the future.
We offer our sincere condolences to his family and especially to his wife Mary and daughters Daire and Ciara by whom he will be dearly missed.
Tá sé anois ag siúl ar Shlí na Fírinne. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.
- Jimmy O Connor
Cumann Sléibhteorachta Chorca Dhuibhne
