Mayo has lost one of its great local historians

Mayo lost one of its great local historians recently with the passing of Vivian Sheridan, a native of Foxford who conducted exhaustive research into the history of his hometown. 

Vivian spent all of his adult life away from Foxford but never lost his deep grá for the town of his birth and has left a rich legacy through his various articles on Foxford's history, several of which were published in the Western People. Indeed, Vivian published a fascinating series of articles in 2013 in which he revealed that there had been a major ironworks on the banks of the River Moy in the late 17th century. This ironworks would have employed around 150 men and the settlement at Belass - on the Ballina side of the river - predated the establishment of Foxford town itself. 

Remarkably, Vivian had conducted most of his research from Geneva where he lived for over half a century, having moved there in 1969 to work for Dupont de Nemours. 

Vivian Thomas Sheridan was born in Foxford to parents Patrick and Margaret and attended the local national school. He was the eldest in a family of four - two brothers Leonard and Des and a sister Dolores. 

Vivian had very fond memories of life in Foxford in the 1940s and could recount so many episodes from that period. A seminal moment came in 1944 when an American B24 Liberator carrying a number of soldiers made an emergency landing in a bog outside the town due to lack of fuel. Nobody was injured but the plane was a write off. Vivian was one of the first on the scene and enjoyed talking to the pilots, and like all the locals, even took a piece of wreckage as a souvenir.

It was the beginning of a life-long passion for aeronautical matters and he later obtained a license to fly light aircraft. 

Vivian attended as a boarder at St Nathy's College in Ballaghaderreen before pursuing his third-level studies at St Patrick's College in Drumcondra, Dublin, becoming a teacher. However, he moved to Geneva in 1969 to work with Dupont de Nemours, where he was a public relations specialist, dealing with sensitive environmental issues.

He met his wife Barbara in Dupont in Geneva and they married in 1971 in Florida before returning to build their life in Switzerland. They have one daughter Margaret and one grandchild Kayla to whom they were devoted. 

Vivian had an insatiable curiosity for history, culture, anthropology, cars, planes and, of course, Foxford! He had a great sense of humour and wonderful storytelling capability.

He spent a lot of his time researching Foxford and even traced St Patrick's pilgrimage through the area. He had never-ending historical and humorous anecdotes and was great at keeping in contact with people and recalling stories. 

Many people in Foxford who would have known Vivian were very sad to learn of his passing. He was a wonderful man - a really kind and generous human being who had such an enduring love for the town of his birth.