Death of a dear old soul: The late Pat Moyles

It is with deep regret and sadness that we say farewell to a dear old friend Pat Moyles from Drumcrow who passed away peacefully at his residence on Thursday last. A Nature of Crossmolina, Co Mayo, Pat became part of our local community when he married Maura Moore from Corduff and we all got to know him over the years and many great and lasting friendships were built up during that time.

There are many great stories told about the bauld Pat, one that is often relayed is when he arrived in Drumcrow the word was that he had bit of a football pedigree with his native Mayo - rumour was that he starred as a minor. So it was only a matter of time when he would pull on the red jersey of Cornafean, however it all fell a bit flat as the silky skills were missing. A great man for a bit of craic, he loved music and song so when it came to a night out he was in his element and his whole family were part of that as well with talent in abundance. Pat loved his real party piece when it came to singing and I fondly recall and can see him in my mind’s eye as he sang the Marsh Lands of Drumcrow and of course when it came to music he loved nothing better than a blast from his accordion. Apart from all the music in his life Pat was a busy man doing the job he loved as a lorry driver, a task that brought to many parts of the country and if you needed directions to anywhere then Pat was an expert when it came to that.

A great family man, himself and Maura raised a family of six and they stove hard to give them everything that was good in life. Sadly they had to bear the pain of losing their beloved Pauric in 2005, it a hard blow but the family came to terms with their sad loss. Time passed and the health of a dear wife and mother began to fail and sadly in 2012 Maura passed away leaving her soul mate broken hearted. It was a number of years later in or around 2019 that Pat became seriously ill and he made a great recovery due in no small measure to his deep faith and devotion to prayer, especially the rosary which was dear to his heart. When a parent has to stand over the grave of a son or daughter it is harrowing but when the same trauma comes for a second time then it must be beyond belief and dear old Pat only a short number of weeks ago had to endure as his daughter Maura passing away. It was the final pain.

And so a man who fought the good fight for as long as he was able has gone to his eternal reward and he will be dearly missed by his family, neighbours and many friends and all those fellow drivers whom he go to know along life’s way as he travelled the highways and byways.

Pat reposed at the residence of his son Gus and daughter-in-law Breege where large numbers came to pay their respects to the much loved man and his family. Then on Saturday his funeral Mass was celebrated in St Michael’s Church Potahee with Mass celebrated by Rev Gabriel Kelly PP assisted by Rev Sean McDermott while Rev Peter Casey was also present. It was a beautiful ceremony and a very moving moment when a recording made back in February of Pat playing his accordion and a lovely rendition of ‘Lovely Derry on the Banks of the Foyle’ was played to the congregation. It was a very poignant moment. When all was over he was laid to rest in the family plot. May his good hearted soul rest in peace.

To his son Gus, daughters Siobhan, Patricia, Helena, brothers Edward, Anthony, Sean, sisters Christina, Josephine, Pauline, Marian, Briege, Teresa, Angela and Martina and all the extended family circle we offer our deep sympathies.

Obituary supplied by Danny Brady.