'Have a drink on me' - Seán's final message to family and friends

It was a case of having the final word with family and friends for the late Seán Fitzsimons, whose ashes were scattered at Blackbrink Bay just outside Lecarrow on Saturday afternoon last. One of Athlone's best-known personalities and former proprietor of Seán's Bar, Seán had one final message for those who gathered for the ceremony on Saturday - 'Have a drink on me'. A flotilla of nine boats carrying about 50 of Seán's family members and friends gathered to pay a final farewell to Seán on Saturday and each was given a little memento to remember him by. The memento, which contained a photograph of Seán and an old 'Crown' or five shilling piece, read: "Sorry that I cannot be with you today but I'm there in spirit. I know it's my round so here's five shillings to have a drink on me." Among those gathered were Seán's two nephews, both named Andy Fitsimons, one the son of Drewie and the other the son of Paddy. They scattered his ashes at Blackbrink Bay, a favourite spot on Lough Ree of Seán's. Seán had a keen interest and involvement in the River Shannon and other Irish waterways down through the years and friends said this week that he had always loved coming into Lecarrow and had requested that his ashes would be scattered at Blackbrink Bay. Paying tribute to his friend this week, Paul Donovan of Seán's Bar said: "He is sadly missed here by customers and by ourselves. The pub is fierce quiet without him." Seán passed away in his sleep earlier this summer at the age of 81 and his family said this week that is the way he would have wanted to go. Seán passed away in his sleep earlier this summer at the age of 81 and his family said this week that is the way he would have wanted to go. Seán had a long association with 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. Originally from Sherrard Street in Dublin, in his teenage years Seán 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. 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 the week before he passed away, 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.