Michael Hayes was loveable character

IN his eight decades on this earth, Mike Hayes tried to do right by all who knew him.

In fact, the tributes paid to Michael Hayes (81) of Tawnies Crescent, Clonakilty, strike an uncanny resemblance to the loveable but fictional character Pop Larkin of The Darling Buds of May.

The similarities rang out in the tribute that Cllr Paul Hayes paid to his father, a former Council worker, at his funeral mass on Monday.

Mike, for example, would bring all of his children with him when, late of an evening, he’d be strimming the local cemetery and the kids would help with raking and clearing the paths.

‘You only have one dad,’ said Paul, ‘we all looked up to him and we were fortunate to have him around for so long.

‘He taught us from an early age to give back to the community – we all have that trait,’ he said.

‘Even if I didn’t work as a councillor I’d still, like my siblings, be involved in community projects.’

He was, Paul said, a very generous and loveable character that everyone had a good word for.

‘He did lots of things to help – everything you could think of including church gate collections,’ said Paul, ‘and he’d sing at fundraising concerts, lots of things without a thought for personal gain.’

But it was in his role as a council worker, that he was not only mindful of his duty to preserve the area, but to represent it. In that regard, he made sure to have a word for people, especially the elderly, or those who might be living alone, such was his generous nature.