Obituary - Skibbereen stalwart Noel O'Driscoll: 1931-2026

'HE would have loved to have been here today,' was how John O'Driscoll began the eulogy for his father, Noel, who passed away peacefully at his home in Skibbereen on April 10th.

Noel was a traditionalist and attending funerals was part of his way of life. John said he wasn't into choirs, or eulogies for that matter, but it was important to him that the proper respect be shown to the departed.

John did his father proud because his eulogy brought to life all that his father accomplished in his 94 years on this planet: his business dealings, his sporting life, and the contribution he made to his home town.

By virtue of the fact that 'Noel had a great life; and he had a great death in that he never suffered', John was able to give a eulogy that was both heartfelt and relaxed.

Despite having to use a walking stick after a fall two years ago, Noel was still firing on all cylinders, still engaged with the family, and their businesses, and still considering new entrepreneurial opportunities.

'As recently as last Christmas, he was walking some of his land and noticed it had a lot of natural springs. When he came home, he started researching how one would go about bottling water,' John told The Southern Star.

That story is indicative of how the man, who was born on December 27th 1931, started working at a young age, worked hard all of his life, and basically never retired.

John said Noel would be at work before he, his five brothers and sister, got up in the morning, and be back after they'd gone to bed, but Sundays were always reserved for family.

All 10 of them – Noel and wife Nora, his mother Ellie, who was better known as Mrs O, and the seven children, would pile into Noel's estate car and they go for the proverbial 'spin' and a picnic.

To a casual observer, Noel O'Driscoll was a large and imposing figure, a man of determination and gravitas. 

But he was also the kind of man who didn't want any of his children – John, Denis, Michael, Donal, Helen, Joseph and Noel – to saddle themselves with a permanent and pensionable job. Instead, he wanted them to grasp the opportunities that life gave them.

Noel celebrating after Rossas won to county senior football championship in 1992.

Noel had friends from all sections of society. Above all else, he valued loyalty. John said: 'Kind deeds were never forgotten. And he was brave in following his instincts.'

As a very young man, he started his working life at Fuller’s hardware shop in Skibbereen, but that was just a springboard to establishing a number of his own substantial businesses.

He operated a sand boat, transported pigs by lorry to Cork, and brought sand and gravel back on the return journey.

Noel got his big break when he purchased land in Drimoleague in the 1960s and opened a sand and gravel pit. 

He really came into his own when, in 1967, the US-based Gulf Oil began construction of an oil terminal on Whiddy Island and his company was awarded the contract to provide sand and gravel.

Following that, Noel established Carbery Concrete Products, which had a number of lorries on the road. It became a kind of dynasty because he further diversified his business in the late sixties and mid-seventies.

Noel and Nora opened a successful ladies' fashion store and a popular restaurant. And, in later years, Noel developed an imposing apartment block on what was once a derelict site at Levis Quay, as well as a number of houses in Castletownshend.

Noel generously gave of his time and talents as part of Skibbereen Community Council and Skibbereen Chamber of Commerce in the seventies.

The organisations were always on the look-out for new employment and development opportunities and were key in establishing Skibbereen's potential as a tourism destination.

As chairman of the Skibbereen Famine Commemoration Committee in 1993, Noel was instrumental in having major works carried out at Abbeystrowry Cemetery, the site of a mass famine grave, and one of the most important famine heritage sites in the country. 

The committee also played a significant role in securing funding for and establishing the Skibbereen Heritage Centre which opened in 2000.

As everyone knows, Noel’s number one passion outside of his family was greyhounds, having trained hundreds of them over a lifetime’s involvement in the sport. 

He was a gambler in a number of ways: he loved a punt on the greyhounds, but he was also a gambler in the business sense. He'd never let the size of a project bother him, according to John.

It was a fitting tribute that as chairman of the Cork Greyhound Stadium, Noel presided at the opening of the new €8.5 million greyhound stadium at Curraheen Park in May 2000.

Noel's lifelong involvement in the O’Donovan Rossa GAA Club as a player, mentor, officer, selector and organiser, would fill volumes because he contributed probably more than any other person to the promotion and welfare of the club. 

In addition to his many successes on the pitch, Noel was simply invaluable to the club as an administrator. 

Over a long number of years, that took all forms​ from organising and training many underage teams to being a selector on the Rossa team that won the county intermediate football championship in 1985.

Who could forget the famous convoys to Dublin when the Skibbereen club created history by winning the county senior football championship in 1992, and went on to capture the All-Ireland club championship in 1993?

All-Ireland Senior Football Club Champions 1993. It was a proud day for the O'Driscoll family when Rossas won the All-Ireland Club title and Noel was especially proud to have two sons, Joe and Denis, on the team. (Photo:Garry Minihane)

Noel's generous contribution to his community is well documented, but his family was always his priority. 

Noel and Nora had eight children, John, Denis, Michael, otherwise known as Curly, Donal, Helen, Joseph and Noel. They also had a daughter, Mary, who died in infancy but was never forgotten.

As a couple, Noel and Nora celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary last September.

They were a team. And they shared great faith – in God, in each other, in their family, and in Dear Old Skibbereen.