Obituary: Michael Walsh Bundoran was a well known and respected businessman

The death has taken place of popular and well-known retired businessman Michael Walsh, Church Rd, Bundoran. 

His funeral Mass took place on Easter Monday April 1, at The Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea, Bundoran, with Magh Ene parish priest Fr Jeremiah Munyoki recalling the deceased as having “a long and fulfilling life”.  

He said: “While his passing saddens us we are grateful for the blessing he brought into the lives of the people he lived with and especially his family.” 

A large congregation of mourners was told that the deceased had been born in Glasgow but moved to Ireland, and in his teenage years began working in the then Great Southern Hotel in Bundoran.

Through hard work and determination and gifted with a natural culinary flair, he became the head chief at the ‘Great Southern’ at a very early age.

That recognition and talent saw him work in locations from Dublin to Galway and Monaghan and over to London. 

It was while working at the Great Southern Hotel, that he met the love of his life, Kathleen and they married on April 30 1974, with Fr Munyoki pointing out that Michael had passed, just short of what would have been their 50th wedding anniversary.  

“They were blessed then with four children and together they ventured into business, they opened the Hamilton Grill and went on to open the bookies shop and Walsh’s famous chipper. They bought the Maghery Hotel in 1988 and enjoyed many happy and successful years there,” he said. 

It was recalled that Michael had many passions in his life. He played golf for 50 years and his proudest moment was when he became captain of the Bundoran Golf Club in 1995. 

His love of sport included supporting his local GAA club, the county team and in soccer, Sligo Rovers. 

He also had a keen and passionate interest in local politics and served as Chairperson of the local Fianna Fáil cumann and was actively involved in many community initiatives down the years including Bundoran Tidy Towns, St Vincent dePaul and the local Historical Society.

He also served on the board of Waterworld.

“Michael loved to tell stories and I am sure many of you know some of the stories which he shared with a good number of you,” Fr Munyoki added. 

Symbols of his life that were presented to the altar included his golf club representing his passion for golf, his Rosary beads representing his faith, some chocolate and a Chef’s hat, the chocolate representing some of the sweeter things in life while the hat symbolised his 50 years career as a chef.   

Final symbols included a Donegal GAA hat and a tie representing his involvement in politics.  

Fr Munyoki concluded: “We are here today to bid him farewell, to show him our last respects, to stand with his family and share with them at this hard and difficult time”.   

His peaceful passing on March 28, surrounded by his loving family is deeply regretted and will be sadly missed by his loving wife Kathleen, sons Michael, David and Kevin, daughter Donna Marie, daughter-in-law Andrea, son-in-law Richard, his beloved and adored grandchildren Hannah, Ciara, Ella, Fionn and Lyra, his brother Bobby, sister-in-law Sheila and all his many nieces, nephews, relatives, neighbours and great friends to whom deepest sympathy is extended.

After Mass of the Resurrection, burial followed afterwards in St. Ninnidh's Cemetery, Newtown, Bundoran.