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Michael Lavin RIP



The people of Drumkeeran and Arigna were deeply saddened

to hear of the death of Michael Lavin on Thursday, March 13.

Michael, better known to his friends as Mickey, was 76 years of age.

Michael was born in Gluckaun in1937, the son of Michael and Nellie Lavin.

He was the youngest of their three children, Paddy Joe, Tom and Michael himself.


At the age of 13 Michael went to work in Arigna mines.
While the work was hard and dirty, Michael enjoyed his years in the mines
and he continued working there until they closed in 1990.  


In September 1962 he married Brigid Anne Harrison.
The couple then settled in Drumkeeran where they ran Fitzmaurice’s pub,
now Forde’s Inn, for about 4 years.
Mickey’s natural friendliness and his love of driving proved to be a great asset to the business
as he was quite happy to chaufer his customers to and from the pub.
In December 1966 his father Michael died and, in early 1967
Michael and the family moved back to Gluckaun,
to look after his mother Nellie and tend the family farm.
They were to stay there until 1998, when they then moved into Sheena.


Mickey was a man who was always in good humour.
He greeted people with a big broad smile that was so welcoming and so friendly.
He came across as a man who was at ease with life,
a man who felt totally at home with his work
and a man who enjoyed the company of others


Michael loved working on the tractor, whether it be mowing, ploughing or baling.
He did all this work for his neighbours and friends.
He did it for the love of the work itself, but he also did it as a kindness to them.

During his lifetime he had his share of hardships.
As mentioned above, in 1966 his dad died at the relatively young age of 68 and,
as a result, Michael had to return to Gluckaun.
This wasn’t the first time for Michael to experience the sadness of death of a family member.
On July 10, 1953 his brother Paddy Joe, who had emigrated to New York,
was killed while trying to save a wounded soldier during the Korean War,
an act of heroism for which he was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star Medal.
In 1989 his mother Nellie and his brother Tom died within two weeks of each other.

But, the biggest blow of all came in 2007 when his wife Brigid died.
That was a devastating blow to him, but thanks to his deep faith
and thanks to his determination to get on with life,
Michael managed to cope very well with the loss.

Michael Lavin had a deep faith.
It was a practical faith rather than a pious faith.
He never missed his Sunday Mass.
Every day, as he entered the mines, he would say a prayer asking God to keep him safe.
He had great faith in the prayers of the nuns in Drumshanbo.
It was that faith that gave him, no matter what happened, his very positive outlook on life.
Even after his road accident 2 weeks ago, he was looking forward
to getting back out home and life getting back to normal.  


Mickey had many other interests apart from the land, the mines and the tractors.
He loved playing cards.  Above all he enjoyed the game of
Twenty-Five.
In the mid-1980’s he and John Packie McManus won 3-All Irelands in
Twenty-Five.


He also enjoyed going to bingo.
He loved watching snooker on TV, with Ronnie O’Sullivan being his special hero.
His interest in cars meant that he enjoyed watching car rallies.
And many’s a great laugh he had while watching Frank Spencer in
Some Mothers do Have ‘Em.  


Unfortunately, following a road accident two weeks ago,
Michael was rushed into Sligo Regional Hospital.
While he seemed to have recovered quite well from his injuries,
he died suddenly on Thursday, March 13.


He is survived by his daughters Geraldine and Kathleen,
and by his sons Paddy Joe, Micheál, John and Seamus.


The huge crowds that attended the removal and the funeral
bear eloquent testimony as to how well liked and respected Michael Lavin was.


Michael’s funeral Mass was on Sunday, 16th March.


After the Mass, Michael was laid to rest
in the family plot in Arigna Cemetery.