Confrère Bob died peacefully on Monday, October 3, at St Michael’s Hospital, Dún Laoghaire, after a short illness at the age of 92.
Bob was actively involved in the Lieutenancy for many year, having been invested in 1991. He was a generous benefactor to the Christian community, the ‘Living Stones’. He visited the Holy Land as a pilgrim in the year 2000, under the direction of H.E. Joe McDonnell. He was awarded the Pilgrim Shell by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and was promoted successively to the rank of Grand Officer. In addition, he participated in the Year 2000 International Pilgrimage to Rome.
In his professional life, Bob was RTÉ’s Assistant Director General and played a significant role in Irish state broadcasting over several decades.
Born in Ballina, Co Mayo, on February 9, 1930, he was a fluent Irish speaker. On his retirement from RTE, Bob moved to live in Stepaside, Co Dublin, in 1974, where he was named its Lord Mayor.
Predeceased by his wife Jo in 2012, he is lovingly remembered by his daughters Aideen, Brenda, Maria and Niamh.
President Michael D Higgins was represented at the funeral Mass by his Aide-de-Camp Colonel Stephen Howard in St Mary’s Church, Sandyford Village. The Mass was followed by burial at St Patrick’s Cemetery, Glencullen. The Lieutenancy was represented by our Lay Master, Raphael Kelly, as the Lieutenant was abroad at the Hungarian investiture.