Bonniconlon has lost a woman who was the “beating heart” of the community.
There was tremendous shock and sadness across the county following the sudden and unexpected passing of Bridie Greavy (nee Bourke).
A former member of Mayo County Council in the mid-1980s, Bridie was a powerhouse who was known as the ‘matriarch of Bonniconlon’. She will be sadly missed by her sons Damien, Thomas and Fintan, daughter Siobhán, extended family and wide circle of friends.
Mrs Greavy was also mother-in-law to Minister Dara Calleary.
An intelligent woman with a quick wit, Bridie was a hugely respected genealogist at Enniscoe House.
Elected to Mayo County Council in 1985, having polled more than 1,000 first preferences in what was then known as the Ballina area, Bridie was a diligent and hard-working councillor who left her mark before deciding to step away from politics.
Family friend and Fianna Fáil councillor Annie May Reape said Bridie was a “pillar of the community” who never wanted any plaudits.
“She always saw what was needed in Bonni and was at the heart of everything,” said Cllr Reape. “Bridie was unassuming but highly intelligent and articulate. She never wanted any praise or aggrandisement despite all she did for her community,” she added.
Cllr Reape said Bridie was both effective and popular as a councillor and wowed the audience when she spoke at a function attended by Fianna Fáil leader Charlie Haughey in Ballina.
Online tributes poured in following Bridie’s passing.
“Bridie was a wonderful lady who had such immense pride and love for her family and her community. The impact she had on the village of Bonniconlon is clearly visible to all who pass through it. She was the beating heart of the village and her legacy will live on in all of the projects with which she was so generous with her time and knowledge,” stated one.
Another described Bridie as a “woman of immense strength, faith, and love whose presence has left an indelible mark on everyone fortunate enough to know her”.
Huge crowds attended the removal and funeral mass which took place on Tuesday at the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Bonniconlon. Bridie was laid to rest in Bonniconlon Cemetery.
She is mourned by her loving and heartbroken sons Damien, Thomas and Fintan, daughter Siobhán, grandchildren Daniel and Annabel, daughter-in-law Eleanor, son-in-law Dara, sisters Maura (Ennis), Ann (London), Stasia (Corrimbla), Doris (Devon), Clare (Galway), Ita (Dublin), nieces, nephews, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, relatives, neighbours and a large circle of friends, to whom deepest sympathy is tendered.
She was predeceased by her husband John James, brothers Mike and Padraig and her sisters Joan, Peggy and Loretta, brother-in-law Paddy, and sister-in-law Phyllis.
