Frank Hayes, the former group director of corporate affairs with Kerry Group, who was laid to rest on Sunday, was remembered at his Requiem Mass as a man of immense kindness whose generosity knew no bounds.
While his funeral was a very difficult, lonely and sad occasion, the people gathered there who were fortunate enough to have known Frank can thank God for the gift of his life, mourners were told.
St Joseph’s Church in Ballinakill, in Frank’s native Co Galway, was packed to capacity for the afternoon ceremony with the surrounding grounds accommodating a big overflow of sympathisers when every seat and standing position inside was filled.
Celebrant Fr Pat Conroy said Frank – who passed away following an illness at the age of 66 – had left an enormous legacy and it was certainly a case that there was more life in his years than years in his life.
“He was a truly gifted and talented individual who was denied the years of retirement, a good 20 years ahead, he had hoped for, by being taken much too soon from us,” he said.
“But it’s about how you live your life, what you achieve and how you use the time given to you by God and Francis scored very well on that point. He used his talents in every way possible and as good as he could,” Fr Conroy said.
Frank worked with the Irish Embassy in London before he joined Kerry Group in 1991 but it was in the latter role that he really made an impact, locally, nationally and internationally.
Frank developed a very strong bond with the GAA in Kerry having spearheaded the hugely successful and lasting commercial partnership between the county board and Kerry Group and he was also very actively involved as a generous supporter of events like Listowel Writers’ Week, the Kerry Community Games and the Rose of Tralee festival.
He and his wife, Grainne, reared their family of four boys and two girls while living in Tralee but when Frank retired in 2000, they moved back to his native Galway although he always retained a soft spot for Kerry and the county’s footballers and people with whom he had a great relationship.
Fr Conroy remembered Frank as a man of faith who did so much for charities and helped so many individuals and organisations.
There was warm applause in the church when he said the communities in Ballinakill and in Kerry were very proud of all Frank achieved and the contribution he made to society as a whole.
Fr Conroy said Frank remained very philosophical about his illness after he was first diagnosed.
“He was very matter of fact and he wasn’t alarmed or terribly upset. He accepted it for what it was. He understood the seriousness of the illness but he wasn’t going to give up without a fight.
“He remained very optimistic and he fought it as best he could for as long as he could. He never complained,” he said.
Gifts brought to the altar as symbols of Frank’s life included Kerry and Galway jerseys to remember his deep love of the GAA.
An album by his favourite performer, Leonard Cohen, recalled his deep love of music, which varied from Bob Marley to Dire Straits and from Planxty to Joni Mitchell, and he loved attending live concerts with members of his family.
A tricolor was brought to the altar to symbolise his pride in his homeland and its culture and traditions as well as his service to the State through his work at the Irish Embassy.
The Hayes family crest stressed the importance of family to Frank and the enduring bonds it entailed.
Frank’s six children, Tony, Anna, John, Joseph, Conor and Emily, all paid emotional and personal tributes to their dad at the close of the Mass during which they reflected on how much he meant to them and the wonderful influence he had on all their lives.
In a heartwarming final gesture of farewell, his daughters, Anna and Emily, delivered powerful and emotion-charged renditions of two of their dad’s favourite songs and there was an absolute silence in the church while the beautiful lyrics sunk in and were appreciated.
The late great Frank Hayes, a man with a warm personality and one of life’s true gentlemen, was laid to rest in in Curra Cemetery in Ballinakill.
His passing, so untimely, has left so many people in Kerry and in Galway – counties he loved and that loved him in equal measure – experiencing a great burden of loss. He was truly one of a kind.
KillarneyToday.com: Your 27/7, seven-day local news service. Call 064-6631281 or 087-2229761
