Mayo mourns death of sean hannick a true champion of the west

THE west of Ireland has lost one of its true champions with the death after an illness of the chairperson of the Council for the West, Sean Hannick.

Mr. Hannick (71) passed away at the Galway Clinic on Friday and his death leaves an enormous void in his family, his native and beloved Killala, and throughout the region.

A well-known industrialist and businessman, he was a tireless advocate of local development and his list of achievements stands as testimony to the selflessness with which he set about trying to improve the lives of the people of this region.

“Where does one start with Sean?” said Most Rev. Christopher Jones, Bishop of Elphin, and Bishops’ Representative on the Council for the West. “At every level, in every role he held, he made an enormous difference.

“He brought employment to Killala. He employed people in Killala himself. He was the driving force behind the development of Killala Community Centre. He fought for improved facilities and infrastructure in north Mayo, and then he broadened his campaigns to all of Mayo and to the west of Ireland in general.

“To Sean, the emphasis was always on progress and improvement – it would be impossible to list all of the many worthwhile issues and campaigns he supported down through the years.

'Sean was a quiet, humble man, a great friend to all of us in Council for the West and someone we will miss greatly. He was a true champion of the west.

“He played leading roles in our campaigns to establish the Western Development Commission and to obtain Objective One status for the west. He was a magnificent leader. He was one of the finest people I have ever worked with.

“In an age of bonuses and expenses, it is important to note that wherever Sean travelled to promote the west – and he travelled north, south, east and west – he did so at his own expenses for the betterment of society.”

Sean is survived by his wife Deirdre, sons John, Rory, Conor and Marcus, grandchildren Sarianna, Farayah, and twins Órna and Séan, daughters-in-law Neasa, Caroline and Yolanda, sister-in-law Margaret, brother-in-law Pat, extended family and friends.

He will be laid to rest tomorrow (Tuesday) morning in Killala Cemetery.