THE LIFE AND TIMES OF CHRISTY HANRAHAN RIP

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF CHRISTY HANRAHAN RIP
4-12-1923 TO 18 – 01- 2009

Christy lived and worked all his life in the townland of Killonahan, in the parish of Manister. He took over the running of the family farm with his sister Kitty, at a young age, and worked the land until his retirement. He was a man of great stature, and, as Fr Blewitt PP Manister, mentioned in his tribute to Christy, he probably had to duck his head each time to get into the stalls to milk the cows. As well has his farming, Christy took great pride in his garden in the orchard, growing his own vegetables for many years. He was by nature a creature of habit, and you could set your clock by him, as he passed by, accompanied by his two dogs, to bring in the cows for milking . If he met anyone on the way, he would always salute, and stop to pass the time of day. There was always time to offer his opinion on any given subject, ranging from the weather to sport, especially the previous or next week’s hurling or football, and world affairs to politics, a gift he retained right up to the time of his passing.
He ploughed with horses in his early years, and would have been working the land at the time of “Compulsory Tillage”. He was part of the generation where neighbours helped neighbours, and took it in turns with the threshing. There would often be up to twenty at the Hanrahan’s dinner table for such occasions. Initially he would bring his milk to the creamery by horse and cart, but time moved on, and there followed a succession of vans, the registeration number of the first one being, I U 9084, as Kitty is well able to recall.
He didn’t take part in sports himself, but he enjoyed the thrill of sporting occasions, and would often cycle to race meetings. His over-riding passion though was all things GAA, and as well as attending many local parish encounters over the years, he also travelled to Croke Park by train on occasions for All Ireland finals, a fact of which he was very proud. In recent years he added rugby to his list of interests, particularly with the success of Munster, and became very knowledgeable on that subject too. Despite not participating, he was nevertheless a formidable opponent when it came to discussing or debating the merits of particular teams or their performance, or players and their positions, and he had a remarkable memory for facts and figures. Christy enjoyed many a game of cards in his time, together with a pint of plain and a small one, and was a popular figure in the local hostelries where he would pass away the time of day putting the world to rights. Kitty loyally and steadfastly looked after Christy at home until he required more specialist care, and he became a much loved and well liked resident of St. Catherine’s Nursing Home at Newcastlewest, where he continued to amaze staff and residents with his ability to converse on the topics of the day. He also became the “unofficial keeper of the remote control” especially on match days. Kitty is eternally grateful for the loving care and attention he received there, and it was a blessing for her to know Christy was very happy there.
Christy passed away peacefully at the Regional Hospital on Sunday January 18, after a short illness, seven weeks after celebrating his eighty sixth birthday. Christy’s removal took place from Daffy’s Funeral Home in Croom, to St. Michael’s Church Manister. He was buried in the adjoining graveyard after a mass which had been arranged by their kind neighbours, with many of their long standing friends from the surrounding area in attendance. May he rest in peace.