It is with deep sadness that we record the death of George McMeel, Drumgahan, Glaslough,
which occurred on Sunday 25th September 2011. George, who had been in declining health
for some time, passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by family members. He
was 84 years old.
George was born the eldest of four children to George and Annie McMeel, Drumgahan
on 20th July 1927. He received his primary education at St Patrick’s School, Corracrin
and began his secondary education at the Christian Brothers School (CBS) in Monaghan
town..
At 15 years of age, following the death of his father, he left school to help with
the running of the family dairy farm. He grew corn and barley, kept fields of potatoes
and turnips, and saved the hay. He ploughed fields for neighbours and at night, he
lamped rabbits and foxes bringing them to Monaghan on the handlebars of his bicycle
the next day to sell them wherever he could. In his twenties, George took his first
steps into what became a lifetime filled with positions of responsibility on farming
and community organisations. As a man with a passion for progress and leaving situations
better than he found them, he took an active and prominent role on both the local
and national stage.
Around 1950, he helped found a branch of the young farmers association, Macra na
Feirme, at Anketell Grove. In his time with the Club, he was County Secretary, a
National Council representative, and eventually Ulster Vice-President from 1961 to
1963. He was very much involved in all that Macra had to offer from ploughing to
stock-judging contests but his particular all-time favourite was the Question Time
competition. Right up until his passing, he surprised many by knowing the answers
of even the trickiest questions.
He also enjoyed the social aspect of Macra attending excursions to places of agricultural
interest and dances at ‘the Grove’. In 1960, whilst selling tickets for a dance in
Monaghan, he met a young lady from Tyholland, Margaret Rose Dorris. They married
later that year, set up home in Drumgahan and went on to have eleven children.
With the inception of the National Farmers’ Association (NFA) in 1955, George began
to focus on agricultural improvements and economic rewards for farmers. He felt farming
in Ireland at the time was in ‘the stone age’ and as a man devoted to the accumulation
of knowledge, he flourished in the organisation. As a member of its National Council,
he took part in the Farmers’ March to Dublin in 1966 to protest at produce prices
and was honoured for his role in the campaign in 1991. He also represented milk suppliers
for years on the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) National Liquid Milk Committee.
Along-with trying to establish himself as a large dairy farmer, he embarked upon
poultry farming in the mid 1960s. At its peak, he had as many as forty thousand chickens.
With the help of his wife, children, farm apprentices, and good neighbours and friends,
he managed to pursue the national interests of the industry despite the increasing
workload at home. In the 1970s, and again in the 1980s, he was Chairperson of the
IFA National Poultry Committee. This was a post particularly suited to a man who
did not mind ‘ruffling a few feathers’ in order to get the job done. He travelled
many times to meetings in Brussels as an advocate for poultry farmers and in 1991,
he was proud to have been made an Honorary Life Member of the IFA, the highest accolade
the Association can bestow.
With the rearing of a large family in mind, he saved to buy cows and land and improved
the land and farm greatly. This progressive attitude saw him elected by his fellow
dairy farmers onto the Council of Town of Monaghan Co-Op in 1971. He could always
be relied upon to represent the Council at meetings of the Irish Co-Operative Organisation
Society (ICOS), the Irish Dairy Board, and the Irish Agricultural Wholesale Society
Ltd. On his retirement in 2009, the Council paid tribute to his commitment. His thirty-eight
years of service speaks volumes in it-self about the esteem in which he was held.
In the early 1980s, he became involved with Glaslough/Tyholland Group Water Scheme
(G.W.S.). To his credit, the Group under his chairmanship facilitated the first pilot
project under the Rural Water Programme which culminated with the opening of a new
treatment plant at Emy Lough in 2000. He knew the location of every water meter and
if anyone on the Committee needed help in finding a meter, they rang George. In 2009,
having served as Chairperson for over 20 years, he retired due to failing health
and was honoured by the Committee for his hard work and dedication.
His interest in politics, locally and nationally, was largely down to the role of
government in farming affairs. He was a proud Fine Gael member and was sometimes
outspoken in his political views. During elections, he was a regular figure at the
polling station at St Patrick’s School, Corracrin acting as an inside impersonating
agent.
George had a great head for facts, figures and dates, and as such, he mentally recorded
and filed much of the information that he came across and was able to retrieve it
instantly. He was often known for saying very little but what he did say was worth
listening to. He traced his family roots back as far as he could and tried to do
the same for others when they came to Drumgahan looking for information on their
ancestors.
He did not like waste of any description and in his own words, he was good at ‘making
things multiply’. Each autumn he would gather apples from his orchard and bag and
deliver them to homesteads around the county in the hope that someone would stew
apples or make apple tarts. From the same orchard, he filled the boot of the car
with branches of palm each year to hand out to the congregation at Palm Sunday Mass.
He also served Mass in his day, did the offertory collection, and could be seen ushering
people to seats when there was a large crowd. Two years ago, he received the Fr James
Cullen Memorial Medal for his lifetime membership of the Pioneer Total Abstinence
Association (P.T.A.A.). For many years, he was also a donor at the local blood clinic
in Emyvale.
He will be remembered for telling some great yarns about days gone by including ghost
stories. He would often scare what he called ‘the daylights’ out of visitors and
thoroughly enjoyed doing so. In his youth, he visited neighbour’s houses to play
draughts and often spoke of how the games would run long into the night. In what
little spare time he had, he loved to be kept informed. He read the Farmer’s Journal
and the Northern Standard, listened to the news and current affairs on the radio
and television and generally kept abreast of what was going on everywhere. He loved
hearing the achievements of his children and later, his grandchildren, and would
always show visitors photographs of his large family, of whom he was very proud.
In later years, faith-healing became a large part of his life. He was the man ‘with
the cure’ and people from near and far came to see him with their ailments. He had
great empathy with people as he himself had periods in his own life marked by ill-health.
It gave him immense satisfaction to help someone and he was rarely, if ever known,
to turn anyone away.
This life-long quality of solidarity was the essence of George. It was reflected
in the overwhelming turnout of people who paid their respects at his home and at
his funeral Mass at St Patrick’s Church, Corracrin on Wednesday 28th September. In
celebrating the Requiem Mass, Rev. Fr. Hubert Martin, P.P. of Donagh, quite rightly
described George in his homily as a man with a ‘global interest’ and highlighted
his great belief in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Members of George’s family were
involved in all aspects of the Mass. The local choir accompanied by organist Patricia
McGonnell rendered hymns, while Sheila Murphy sang the Psalm. Guards of Honour were
provided at the Church by members of IFA, Glaslough/Tyholland G.W.S., the P.T.A.A,
and Homecare Independent Living.
Deepest sympathy is extended to George’s wife Margaret, sons Declan, Paddy, Aidan
and John, daughters Finola, Barbara, Olive, Doris, Michelle, Lorna and Denise, his
sons and daughters-in-law, and thirteen grandchildren. He is survived by his sisters
Peggy Gunn, Greenan’s Cross, Smithborough and Moira Gilsenan, Glaslough, his brothers-in-law
and sisters-in-law, nephews and nieces, and cousins. He was predeceased earlier this
year by his brother John James (J.J.) McMeel. To all his relatives and friends we
offer our deepest sympathy. May he rest in peace.
