Mr John
The late Mr John (Johnnie) Cullen.
The death occurred on March 9 of Mr John Cullen, peacefully, in St Vincent's Hospital Dublin, after a short illness borne with great dignity.
Aged 94, John was born in Enagh West in 1917, the son of Jimmy Cullen and Bridget Née O'Reilly. After attending primary school in Cormaddyduff, Castlerahan, and a few years of secondary school in Oldcastle, John left school at 15 to learn his trade as a carpenter.
During lean times in the 1930s he went to the North for work and lived in various coastal towns in County Down including Warrenpoint and Kilkeel. The warmth of the Northern people made a significant impression on him. Superbly fit, John often cycled the 30+ miles from Dundalk to Virginia to visit his family during those years.
John moved to Dublin in the 1940s when work opportunities improved during the war. He met his wife Patty at that time - one early date was Croke Park for the 1947 All-Ireland football semi-final between Cavan and her native Roscommon. Right up into his 90s, John regularly attended Croke Park - he saw more than 50 football finals.
John's drive, intellect and organisational skills were recognised when he was made a foreman at the unusually young age of 31, and his first job was the Windjammer Pub on Townsend Street, Dublin. Until retirement he oversaw a succession of building projects with just two employers - Murphy Brothers and, after their demise, Cunningham Brothers. A man who could never sit still for long, he even used the two weeks in between those jobs to install a new kitchen in his home.
After 'retirement' John kept working and his next project was overseeing the construction of a concert hall at the headquarters of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann in Monkstown, Dublin.
Retirement also marked the start of two new hobbies - golf and writing poems. He enjoyed regular golf for many years until a bothersome shoulder frustratingly forced him to stop. His poems were great sagas, skilfully interweaving humour, narrative and social history.
A man of deep faith, he was a daily Mass-goer and a member of the choir of Bird Avenue, Clonskeagh for more than 40 years. He exhorted his family to do their best and to then put their trust in "the man above".
His musical interests extended beyond the choir to the fiddle. His fiddle playing was his unique way of lulling his children to sleep - and he loved "the few tunes" whenever possible. His love of playing music has extended to all his children.
Patty and his children and his extended family were immensely important to John. Neither did he ever forget his roots in Cavan - even after 60-plus years in Dublin. He returned there regularly, visiting his late brother Tommy of Enagh West and his sister Josie of Drumina. He was particularly proud of how his "home place" in Enagh West expanded from 12 acres to the farm it is today.
He was a great provider, bringing his carpentry and building skills to bear on his own home where the whole house bears his imprint. He also had a marvellous vegetable garden to help rear his large family.
Between his family, his music, his garden, his tinkering, his crosswords and word puzzles, his reading, his politics, his larger-than-life persona, his keen interest in people, and his bold sense of humour, his passing leaves a void and he will be sorely missed.
John is survived by Patty, his beloved wife of over 60 years, his seven children, Mary, Claire, Susan, Jimmy, Seán, Brian and Brendan, his sister Josie, brother-in-law James, sisters-in-law Margaret and Bríd, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, 17 grandchildren, great-grandchild, nieces and nephews, and remembered by a wide circle of friends and neighbours.
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