Michael Egan (80) dies while on holiday
in Japan
14 May 1997
The death has taken place of Mr. Michael J. Egan, solicitor, Mountain View, Castlebar and coroner for West Mayo.
Aged 80-years, Mr. Egan was the Irish agent for the estate of the missing Lord Lucan who has property interests in the area. Mr. Egan who died while visiting his daughter, Geraldine, in Tokyo, Japan, was deeply involved in the 1950's '60's and '70's with the development and promotion of Castlebar.
Through his involvement with Castlebar Chamber of Commerce he conceived the idea of the Castlebar International Song Contest and was instrumental in setting up the Castlebar Walking Festival as well as being a founder member of the Western Care Association.
Mr. Egan qualified as a solicitor in 1940 and opened his own firm the following year. He was coroner for West Mayo since 1960 and was worldwide chief of the MacEgan clan. He was president of honour of the Order of Malta, holding the rank of Bailli Grand Cross of Obedience, Knight Commander of St. Gregory and president of the Association of Papal Knights Ireland. Under the firm of Egan, Daughter and Company he ran an extensive business with his daughter Eanya and son-in-law Aiden Crowley.
His later brothers were Fr. Tommy Egan who was responsible for the restoration of the now famed Ballintubber Abbey and Fr. Maurice Egan. His sister was the late Ms. Maura Egan principal of Castlebar Vocational School.
Mr. Egan's grandfather and grandmother both qualifies as teachers and were appointed to the first national school in Glenisland, Castlebar which opened in 1870. His father was one of a large family and he entered the Local Government service as treasurer and later as secretary of Mayo County Council and ultimately as Mayo's first County Manager taking up the position in 1942.
Mr. Egan was born at Ellison Street and was educated locally before going to UCD and into the legal profession.
After qualifying he worked in Galway where he joined the L.D.F. and transferred from the Unit to one in Castlebar where he was appointed a lieutenant. After the L.D.F. was disbanded he joined the FCA and was appointed an officer.
In the 1940's he became involved in drama and produced many plays in the town. In 1945 he joined the Castlebar Development Association, the organisation which sponsored the application for a Grant of Arms to Castlebar Urban Council. It was Mr. Egan who carried out the negotiations with the chief Herald, Gerard Slevin, for the design of the shield to commemorate that fact that Castlebar is the chief town of Mayo: Máigh Eó, the Plain of the Yew trees, hence the yew trees. It was named after Barry's Castle and is located in the parish of Aglish. The name comes from the Latin Ecclesia - Church, and the inclusion of crosses refers to this feature. The 1798 Races of Castlebar were remembered in the pikes used by the Irish contingent in the fight.
The motto of the Barry family was Butez En Avant and Mr. Egan suggested the Gaelic version Ar Aghaidh. The Grant of Arms was issued in 1953. Mr. Egan also designed the Coat of Arms for Mayo County Council. In 1948, on the 150th anniversary of the Races of Castlebar it was decided to reenact the battle and Mr. Egan was given the task of recruiting about 200 men to impersonate, French, Irish and English forces, and a number of mounted cavalry.
RELAUNCHED CHAMBER
Locals, were however, reluctant to take up the role of the English Army which was defeated, but Mr. Egan prevailed well known freedom fighter Paddy Horkan to take command of the English forces, after which there was little difficulty in recruiting the Redcoats.
In 1961 he conceived the idea of producing a mega pageant to coincide with national celebrations to commemorate St. Patrick. This involved hundreds of local men growing beards for the production which proved a huge success.
Around this time too, the local Chamber of Commerce became dormant after the departure from the town of the then president Brian Van Zwanenburg, the managing director of Castlebar Bacon Company. There was a general feeling locally that the Chamber should be revived and Mr. Egan presided at the preliminary meeting and was then elected president. The Castlebar International Song Contest resulted and was first staged in October 1966 and went on to gain worldwide publicity for the town.
Another undertaking of the Chamber was the establishment of the Castlebar Walking Festival and Mr Egan enlisted the services of the then County Engineer, Mr. Joe Egan to organise the event. This promotion has since grown to be the biggest walking event in Ireland.
Mr. Egan was also involved in the historic twinning of Castlebar with Ballymena in the mid-1960's, a relationship which lasts to this day.
As one of the three founders of the Western Care Association, Mr. Egan was elected the first president of the association and had been closely associated with the development of services right up to the time of his death.
One of his great achievements was the complete restoration, without any State or semi-State aid, of a ruined medieval castle at Redwood, Lorrha, Co. Tipperary which was in the MacEgan family from 1350 until it was destroyed by fire in the 17th century.
At a meeting of Castlebar Chamber of Commerce sympathy was extended to the Egan family on their bereavement.
President Mr. Frank Greene said Mr. Egan has played a pivotal role in having the Chamber revived in the 1960's and was responsible for devising projects which brought worldwide recognition to Castlebar.
A vote of sympayhy to the family was also passed at a meeting of Mayo County Council on Monday night
ARRANGEMENTS
Mr. Egan is survived by his wife Eithne, daughters Coleesa Curtin (Dublin), Mary Kate (Boston), Eanya Crowley (Castlebar), Felicity (Dublin), Geraldine Duong (Tokyo), Melessa (Castlebar), Micheline (Dublin), and Pauline Snep Vangers (Jersey) and son John (London), sons-in-law, daughter-in-law and grandchildren to whom deepest sympathy is extended on their great loss.
His remains will repose at Coady's Funeral Home, Linenhall Street, Castlebar on Thursday from 6p.m. with removal to the Church of the Holy Rosary, Castlebar at 8p.m.. Burial will take place in the old cemetery after 11a.m. Requiem Mass on Friday.
