‘We do everything correctly in Kerry and God help the rest of the country’

THE funeral has taken place of the late Hanna Clifford who was very well known in Killarney through her long career in the administrative department of Kerry County Council.

She was also a great supporter of community events and had a particular allegiance to the Killarney Looking Good competition and the work of the local tidy towns group.

A native of Lower Liss, Castlecove, Hanna never forgot her south Kerry roots despite living for most of her life at Castlerosse Terrace in Killarney, in the shadow of St Mary’s Cathedral, where she was a very familiar face.

At her Requiem Mass in St Mary’s Cathedral on Saturday, Fr Niall Howard noted that Hanna – the eldest child in a large family – first came to Killarney as a boarding student in the former Loreto Convent and she went on to make the town her home.

She worked with Kerry County Council in the lodge offices at St Columbanus’ Home. She was immensely proud of the great work undertaken by the local authority and she was deeply loyal to her employers, Fr Howard said.

Hanna’s motto in life was ‘We do everything correctly in Kerry and God help the rest of the country’.

A staunch Fianna Fail supporter throughout her life, she was passionate about politics, intrigued by the workings of local government and she loved the build-up to and excitement of local and general elections.

She was real family woman and loved to keep track of the news of the day and the happenings in the lives, studies and careers of her nephews and nieces, grand nephews and grand nieces.

A great supporter of the green and gold, Hanna was a sister-in-law of former Kerry County Board secretary Andy Molyneaux.

In recent years, she closely followed the exploits of her Fossa grand nephews, Paudie and David Clifford, supporting them at club, district and county level and she was very excited when Kerry star David became one of the most talked about footballers in the country and Paudie inspired Kerry to an All-Ireland junior championship title.

“Wouldn’t she be looking forward so much to next Saturday’s game?” Fr Howard said, adding that Hanna will now have the luxury of watching the All-Ireland final replay from “the eternal corporate box”.

Predeceased by her brothers John Patrick, Jamesey and Michael and her sister Mary, Hanna, who passed away at University Hospital Kerry, is survived by her sisters Eileen (Walsh), Kathleen (Stackpoole), Rose (Molyneaux) and Breda (Sugrue), sisters-in-law Breda and Nóirin, nephews and nieces, grand nephews, grand nieces and many other relatives, friends and neighbours.

Following Requiem Mass in St Mary’s Cathedral, she was laid to rest on Saturday in Coad Cemetery in her native Castlecove.