Tributes Padraig Clifford laid to rest in one of the biggest funerals ever seen in Mid-Kerry region

The eldest son of the late Padraig and Elaine Clifford – the husband and wife who tragically passed away within just five months of each other – has paid tribute to his wonderful father at his Funeral Mass.

Patrick Clifford recalled the happy and hard-working man his father was as he spoke about the heartbreak the family has endured at the loss of their mother, Elaine, in August and now, just five months later, their father, also from cancer.  

Padraig, too, paid a loving tribute to his mother at her Funeral Mass on August 31. On Saturday, he had the incomprehensible task of doing likewise for his father, whom he worked alongside and with whom he travelled around the country. 

The mid Kerry community was stunned to learn of the death of 46-year-old Padraig last Tuesday from cancer – five months after his wife also died from cancer. The couple leave behind four sons, Patrick, Jack, Andrew and Conor. The youngest is only five years old and Patrick, their eldest, is just 21 years old.

The huge crowd in attendance at the Funeral at the Sacred Heart Church in Milltown was testament to the high esteem that Padraig, Elaine and their family are held in. So, too, was the huge crowd that called to their home in An Tuairín Linn in Milltown in the days preceding the Funeral as the entire attempted to support the family following their devastating loss. 

The Funeral has been described as one of the biggest ever in Milltown as hundreds lined the streets to pay their respects. 

Padraig’s love of trucks and machinery has been recalled both at his Funeral Mass and by his friends and family in recent days, so it was fitting that, on his final journey, he was brought to the Mass and to the Cemetery on a special platform erected on an Scania truck.

 

This was accompanied by a convoy of trucks and tractors, driven by friends and family from all over the country, as a mark of respect for Padraig. 

His Funeral Mass also heard about how he had built up his power-washing business and had done his family proud in all he had achieved. His love of country music was also recalled.

In May 2021, the family got the devastating news that their beloved mom and the love of Padraig's life, Elaine, had cancer. She died on August 28 – just two days before her 41st birthday – leaving Padraig devastated, and as he attempted to come to terms with the loss of his wife in recent months, he too got the news that he had cancer. He died just a few weeks later.

Fr Danny Broderick said that news of the death of Padraig such a short time after his wife made it difficult for all to come to terms with, but he said the community had rallied around the family and would continue to do so. 

He said Padraig brought great joy to so many lives and that everyone should remember his smile. He said he was a good, decent man who was known across the country. He said the huge gathering both at the Church and on Saturday was a support to the family at this heartbreaking time. 

Padraig is also predeceased by his mother, Ann, and brother-in-law, Mike (Burke). He will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by his father, James; brother, John; sisters, Helen and Mary; and his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Danny and Eileen Harrington, as well as his extended family and friends.