Sean Maguire, Highfield Road, Cavan

THE unexpected death of Sean Maguire, Highfield Road, was received with universal shock. He had been in his usual good form as he made his way home from the Anglo-Celt with copies of the weekly edition but died suddenly at his residence later that evening. Aged 70, Sean was born into a large and popular family at 19 St. Brigid"s Tce and was predeceased by his parents, Edward and Catherine. Sean attended the De La Salle school in Cavan town. On leaving national school he immediately secured employment with Cavan Mineral Water Co. Ltd and later served as a barman in Geoghegan"s licensed premises in Church St. It was at this time that he met his future wife, Liz Mooney. Their romance continued even when Sean emigrated to London where he took up employment in an aircraft factory. Liz joined him there and they subsequently returned to Cavan where they were married on April 4, 1961, in the cathedral by the late Fr. PJ Gargan. Sean was then employed in Cavan Engineering and later with Hanging Door Co. Liz and Sean spent a wonderful 49 years together and raised a family of five daughters. In later years both enjoyed the company of their nine grandchildren. Sean was both affable and courteous and enjoyed attending football matches as well as the cinema. He had a great interest in films especially the old black and white and had an encyclopaedic knowledge of actors and directors. Sean had the privilege of appearing in film when he and his wife Liz featured in Shane Connaughton"s Run of the Country, which starred British actor, Albert Finney among others. They also had a walk-on part in an episode of a series filmed in Portugal and which starred their nephew, the actor Sean Maguire. It was a joy to be in Sean"s company. He was a wonderful singer from ballads to Neil Diamond or even numbers made popular by Abba. Indeed he was not averse to a bit of rap music. Sean and his family contributed to many an entertaining night in his favourite local, The Well Bar. In fact, one of the best nights the family enjoyed was just a few months ago when a surprise 70th birthday party was organised for Sean. Family and friends from home and abroad gathered to celebrate the occasion. He was totally overwhelmed by it all and appreciated those who helped organise the event. That was typical of Sean, humble and self-effacing. Sean had a deep religious faith. He attended mass each Saturday evening in Cavan Military Barracks where he was a reader and was a daily mass goer during Lent and served as a collector in the cathedral. He worked for 20 years in the undertaking business with John McMahon and attended countless funerals over the years, holding firm views about the type of funeral he would like, plain and simple with no fuss. He didn"t want too many tears and wanted his funeral to be a celebration. He lived a good life and enjoyed it to the full. He is survived by his wife, Liz; daughters, June, Martina, Alison, Sheila and Kathleen; his brothers, Michael, Teddy, P. J. and Martin and sisters, Ann, Sadie, Marie and Sheila. The funeral took place from the cathedral to Cullies cemetery. A Guard of Honour was provided by members of Cavan Gaels.