Athlone area mourns a 'larger than life character'

Warm tributes have been paid to Seán Fitzsimons, the former proprietor of Seán's Bar and one of Athlone's best-known personalities, following his death last weekend. In addition to a lengthy period at the helm of Ireland's oldest pub, Seán was renowned for his keen interest and involvement in the River Shannon and other Irish waterways. Timmy Donovan of Seán's Bar said the 81-year-old passed away in his sleep at his residence close to the Main Street pub last Saturday. "Seán was a great man who was very involved with the waterways and all of the organisations associated with the waterways. He will certainly be greatly missed by everyone at Seán's Bar," he commented. One of the organisations with which Seán had a long association was the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland (IWAI), the organiser of the annual Shannon Rally. Last year, when President Mary McAleese officially opened the 50th Shannon Rally in Carrick-on-Shannon, Seán was feted as the only person to have attended all 50 rallies. Members of the IWAI were to form a guard of honour at his removal from The Strand Funeral Home yesterday (Tuesday) evening, and he is expected to be remembered in a special way when this year's Shannon Rally gets underway on Friday. Seán was "a larger than life personality" according to a friend and long-time colleague in the Athlone branch of the IWAI, Damien Delaney. "He loved life and he had a very active life going to different places and doing things," said Damien. "He enjoyed a pint and the company that came with it. He also had an appreciation for music and a wonderful singing voice." Seán loved the traditional ballad 'Carrickfergus' and this was his signature song to deliver at social gatherings. He was originally from Sherrard Street in Dublin and in his teenage years he started working for Gill's of O'Connell Street (which later became Gill & Macmillan). He got a job as a salesman and spent 30 years working for the company, selling church furnishings. During this time he would regularly travel with friends to the midlands to spend time on the River Shannon, and he recruited a team consisting of himself and six others to take part in the first official Shannon Rally in 1961. He subsequently hired a barge, the 'St Mary', and then purchased it along with his friend, John Connon. They changed the name of the barge to 'The Iron Lung', as lung is the Irish name for ship and 'iron lung' was a nickname for a barrel of beer. At that time Seán continued to live in Dublin but he would travel to Athlone at weekends. In the late 1960s he purchased Seán's Bar from its previous owner, Seán O'Brien, and he then went on to run the pub with Dermot O'Brien. Eventually Seán left the church supplies business and became a full-time publican, running Seán's until his retirement in 1997. He sold 'The Iron Lung' to his nephew, Andy Fitzsimons, in 2001 and acquired another boat, 'An Spalpin Eile'. In his later years his health declined but he continued to take an active interest in the waterways. "He had a deep and abiding love for the River Shannon, right up to the end," said Dave McCabe, the chairman of the Athlone branch of the IWAI. "Despite being quite ill at times he would always make an effort to travel to various events." Seán served as treasurer of the Athlone branch of the IWAI for many years and he remained a steadfast supporter of the association after his committee role ended. He collected waterways memorabilia and, just last week, he presented the Athlone branch of the IWAI with a large collection of his charts, books and maps. In addition, he was a prolific fundraiser for lifeboats and was awarded a silver medal by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in recognition of the money he had helped to generate for the charity over the years. The restoration of the Royal Canal and development of Athlone's west side were other causes he was associated with over the years. One of the ways he backed the Royal Canal project was by organising the reprinting and resale of 'Green and Silver' a 1946 book by LTC Rolt, which is considered a classic on the subject of Ireland's waterways. All proceeds from the reprinting of the book went to the Royal Canal restoration fund. Friends said that, in recent weeks, Seán seemed to be in good spirits. Online tributes posted this week praised him as "a legend in his lifetime", "one of nature's gentlemen", and "a hugely important figure for the IWAI and the waterways generally." His death is deeply regretted by Anne, his nephews, nieces, relatives and a wide circle of friends. Funeral mass will be celebrated at the Church of Saints Peter and Paul at 11am today (Wednesday) with cremation to follow in Mount Jerome Crematorium, Dublin, at 3pm. May he rest in peace.