THE death took place at the Mater Hospital, Dublin on Thursday last of Pat Sherlock of Stranacorkra, Derrybeg and formerly of Piltown, Kilkenny.
At just 18 years of age he left his native Kilkenny and travelled to Gaoth Dobhair to take up employment in Comer Yarns Teo on the Industrial Estate. This was the beginning of a journey that would shape the rest of his life.
He was a young man leaving behind the familiar comforts of home, never knowing that the place he was travelling to would one day become his home in every sense of the world. Little did he know that the most important chapter in his life was about to begin.
Pat was born in Piltstown on April 19, 1954 and was a son of the late Bill and Angela Sherlock.
Having arrived in the Gaoth Dobhair Gaeltacht he soon found out that he needed a car and had made his way to the Gaoth Dobhair Credit Union to enquire about a loan. It was behind the counter that he met a young woman, Bríd Doherty.
He got more than a loan that day. What began as a simple visit to arrange a loan started a love story spanning 54 years. They complemented each other perfectly – Bríd with an outgoing and social nature and Pat with a calm and reserved manner and quiet confidence.
They were married on November 8, 1975. They were different in many ways but together they made a remarkable team.
Although he was a Kilkenny man by birth, Stranacorkra became his home and the people of Gaoth Dobhair became his people.
Over the years Pat made his place in the community, not through grand gestures or need for attention, but simply by being himself. Hurling was a great love of his life. Coming from Kilkenny, it was a passion he carried with him to Donegal. An accomplished player himself, he had a genuine love and understanding of the game.
He represented Kilkenny at minor level. He went on to play for both the Gaoth Dobhair and Donegal hurling teams.
He helped to establish the first Gaoth Dobhair hurling team in the 1980s. He gave to coaching young hurling teams, showing his knowledge and enthusiasm with a new generation.
Pat never raised his voice. He never needed to shout to make himself heard. He had an extraordinary ability to make his point calmly while still commanding an enormous respect.
He was also an exceptionally hard-working man. After years working in Comer Yarns he went on to spend 24 years working as a supervisor in Unifi, Letterkenny.
Pat was a real gentleman and a brilliant supervisor and was fair to everyone. He had a gentleness about him, a quiet way of dealing with life and people that spoke volumes about the person he was.
But for all his achievements at work and his love of sport, it was within his family that his true character shone brightest. He was a loving husband, a devoted dad and a doting grandfather to Darcy. The arrival of Darcy opened a beautiful new chapter in his life and the bond and friendship that blossomed between them was truly special to witness.
Pat was a hard worker and was very good with his hands. He played a significant role in building the family home in Gaoth Dobhair and took enormous pride in maintaining it down through the years. That home was much more than a house, it was a place of warmth, a place of calm and a place of welcome.
Funeral Mass was celebrated on Saturday in the Church of the Sacred Heart, Dunlewey, and was followed by a private cremation at Lily Hill Crematorium, Letterkenny. The celebrant of the mass was Fr Brian Ó Fearraigh and con-celebrants were Fr Brendan Ward and Fr Seán Ó Gallchóir.
Pat was predeceased by his parents, Bill and Angela, brothers, Frank and Liam. He will be sadly missed by his wife, Bríd, daughter, Isla (Neil), sons, Omar (Sofia) and Arron (Suzanne), grandchild, Darcy, twin sister, Anne, brother, Maurice and extended family and friends.
Pat Sherlock.