Old schoolfriends today paid a poignant tribute to one of their own.
The men, in their 70s and 80s, joined with the rest of the community of Glinsk on the Galway-Roscommon border in honouring Sean Parker (79).
The Co Galway native had died earlier this year at a nursing home in Medway, Kent, but was facing a burial in an unmarked grave as he had no family or friends to claim him.
A major publicity campaign instigated by Medway Council in Kent led to extensive research in Co Galway and the joint effort traced Sean's roots back to Glinsk.
His funeral Mass at St Michael’s Church in Glinsk today heard he had been born in nearby Dunmore, but lived with his family in Glinsk and he attended the local national school between 1941 and 1946.
The tragic death of his mother in 1945 eventually led to the family moving to Dublin and Sean later ended up in London. Much of his life was spent on the streets as he fell on hard times and he never got to return to his Co Galway home.
Former school principal, Marty Ward recalled that when Sean had to leave Glinsk, he left behind his most treasured possession, his pet dog, Terry in the care of the local Grady family.
Fittingly, a toy dog was one of the gifts brought to the altar by school friend, Johnny Hegarty.
Another old friend, Joseph Kelly brought the pupil register from Ballincurry NS containing Sean’s enrolment details. Jimmy O’Toole presented a radio to represent the community’s thanks to the media for their help in tracing his roots.
Marty Ward paid tribute to all who had helped in the voluntary effort to return Sean Parker’s remains to Glinsk.
“We are ensuring that Sean is today reunited with his mother, Annie and I feel sure that if Sean could have expressed a wish in his hard and difficult life it probably would have been to feel once again the warmth of his mother’s love.
“One would feel an intense feeling of pride that so many people and agencies stepped forward to assist and to help. It is really reminiscent of the old Irish Meitheal when people banded together to get the work done”, he said.
Parish priest, Fr John McCarthy told the congregation the fact that Sean had come from a poor background and had fallen through the economic cracks of difficult times did not reflect his position in God's eyes.
“God had a special love for the poor and therefore we can be sure that he had a special live for Sean too,” Fr McCarthy said.
Afterwards Sean Parker’s coffin was borne from the church and through a guard of honour of local men as it made its way solemnly for burial within yards of his mother’s grave at Ballinakill cemetery.
The entire community was hosted afterwards by the Dowd family at the Glencastle Lounge in Glinsk for the traditional funeral “afters”.