Des Burke Obituary, Des Burke has sadly passed away

Des Burke Obituary, Death – We were deeply saddened to read of Des Burke’s tragic passing. Des was a former resident of Knightstown and Ballybunion. Des was another of Valentia’s most enduring rowers, competing for many years in both seine boats and four-oar boats. Des was a member of a four-person crew that traveled to Ardcost in 1955 to buy a boat, appropriately named “The Erin,” and they competed well in numerous regattas with that boat. John Shanahan, Johnnie Reidy, and Joe Houlihan were his coworkers; with Des’s demise, the entire crew has now departed for its eternitary recompense. According to the tale relayed to me, Des responded, “Oh there’s plenty of us,” when the seller of the boat indicated that he was familiar with Burke, Reidy, and Houlihan but had never heard of a Burke on the Island.

Des took great pride in his Island ancestry! Des was an absolute gentleman, humorous and clever, and great company. Along with being a fantastic rower, he was also an excellent football player and a key figure in the amateur dramatics group that was active on Valentia at the time. In fact, Des frequently played two roles in a single performance if someone else didn’t show up. Des was a superb musician and singer, just like all of his siblings and extended relatives, and it was a pleasure to hear him sing when he visited, whether it was in a church or a social environment.

Des never lost sight of the fact that he was a son of Valentia, although living much of his life in Ballybunion. The extended Burke and Hanrahan families as well as his wife Mary, children Pauline, Gerard, Joseph, Anne, and Una, as well as his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, are all recipients of our heartfelt condolences. May God grant his kind soul rest. The choir in paradise just got better! Des, rest in peace.

Des Burke Obituary, Death – We were deeply saddened to read of Des Burke’s tragic passing. Des was a former resident of Knightstown and Ballybunion. Des was another of Valentia’s most enduring rowers, competing for many years in both seine boats and four-oar boats. Des was a member of a four-person crew that traveled to…