The Gazette 1996

GAZETTE

JUNE 1996

t Matthew M. Purcell, deceased Carriageway s c h eme and the Naas By- Pass Mo t o rway s c h eme. Like his father before him Mr. Purcell had a c oun t r y -w i de reputation as an authority on Local Go v e r nme nt administration and law. With Law S o c i e ty sponsorship he published a booklet on the Local Go v e r nme nt (Planning and D e v e l o pme n t) Act, 1963 wh i ch was well received by the legal profession. In his youth Mr. Purcell was a capable tennis player and an avid sports fan. He was a frequent visitor to the Wi mb l e d on Te nn is Ch amp i o n s h i p s. He greatly admired the late Billy Morton for his efforts on behalf of athletics. With his n e p h e ws Dan and Billy Purcell he attended Santry wh en the great Herb Elliott broke the world record for a mile. His sporting interests e x t e nd ed to gaelic football, hurling, handball and horse racing. A spiritual man he was a familiar i figure mak i ng his way d o wn to Our I Lady and St. Da v i d 's Church, Naas, for daily Ma ss and Ho ly Commu n i o n. Mr. Purcell was pre-deceased by his brothers Do c t o rs Paddy, Joe, Michael and William and his sisters Do c t o rs Catherine and Margaret. | Mr. Purcell is survived by Dr. Billy ( n e p h e w) and Carmel Purcell and their family William, Elizabeth, Matthew and Joseph (Naas), Dr. Dan ( n e p h ew) and Joan Purcell and their sons William and Daniel (Ferns), Eileen Purcell (sister-in-law), his n e p h ew s, nieces, grandnephews, grandnieces, great grandnephews, | great grandnieces and his c o u s i ns in Australia and N e w Zealand.

w i fe Imelda reared a fine family of six sons and one daughter, Evelyn and t wo sons, Gerry and Emmet carry on the Solicitor's practice, as s u c c e s s f u l ly as their father ever did! He is also survived by one sister Mary (O'Byrne) w h o has resided in Cork City for a number of years. A very s u c c e s s f ul man in all of his many interests - I think, Ame r i c an Grantland Rice s ums it all up so aptly and succinctly, in his well k n own couplet - 'And wh en that One Great Scorer c o m e s to mark against your name, He writes not that you won or lost - But h ow y ou p l a y ed the Game .' The death occurred recently of Matthew M. Purcell, Born in 1 9 02 at The C ommo n s, Ballingarry, Co. Tipperary, Mr. Purcell was the third son of the late Daniel J. Purcell and Margaret Purcell (nee Heaphy). A solicitor by profession he practised privately in Naas before b e c om i ng Ireland's first Co un ty Solicitor wh en he took up an appointment with Cork 1 Co un ty Council. In 1 9 49 Mr. Purcell b e c ame Dub l in Co un ty Co u n c i l 's first Co un ty Solicitor. He remained there until retirement age in 1968. He then j o i n ed the firm of B r own and McCa n n, Solicitors, Na as wh e re he practised law for a further fourteen years. In his student days he won the c o v e t ed Findlater Scholarship and the Law S o c i e t y 's silver medal in his final e x ami n a t i o n s. He obtained an M . A. d e g r ee and an honours LLB degree from Lo nd on University. F o l l ow i ng qualification he lectured at the Incorporated Law S o c i e ty of Ireland in the law of torts. Ard Mor, Naas. MK. Ma t t hew M. Purcell

OBITUARIES

Maxie (Mar t in M.) Hal ley

A f ew months short of his 87th birthday, Maxie passed on Easter Mo n d ay last. A very w e l l - k n own Solicitor, farmer and horse breeder, he lived all his life just outside Waterford City. He was a practising Solicitor for c l o se on 6 0 years, having started and built up a very s u c c e s s f ul practice - rating with the best in the South East. As a practitioner he was e s p e c i a l ly s u c c e s s f ul in the courts wh e re his skills were well r e c o g n i s ed by his c o l l e a g u es and his many clients alike. Apart from his Solicitor's practice, Maxie was a great outdoor man. A substantial farmer w h o indulged (also with much s u c c e s s) in horse breeding and although he didn't reach the heights of an Arkle or Red Rum he had s ome well k n own animals. Garnishee and Carrickbeg are t wo that c o me to mind that performed well across the water and f o und their way into the Winners Enclosures in many g o o d Ra c es at Ch e l t e nh am and similar tracks. Apart from his long time breeding - his l o ve of the horse was legendary and apart from his many Ra ce Me e t i n g s, his l o ve of riding to the Ho u n ds was well k n own. He didn't suffer the protesters too we l l! In addition to being a memb er of the National Hunt Comm i t t e e, he was l o n g t ime Steward at local tracks, Tramore, C l o nmel and Gowr an Park. Ad d ed to all this, Maxie was a man of very high principle, r e c o g n i s ed by all his legal and racing c o l l e a g u e s. Privately, a religious man, he never cultivated the 'holier than thou' look or mannerism. A b o v e all, throughout his long life he e n j o y ed e x c e l l e nt health up to his final illness wh i ch happily w a s of relatively brief duration. He and his

During his career he was i n v o l v ed in major projects like the Yo u g h al Bridge, the Na as Ro ad Dual

I Ar dheis D é g o raibh a anam.

i MP.

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