Spoken Word fan and PR boss John will be missed by many

THE talented and compassionate boss of the PR firm Park Communications, Seán O’Riordáin, passed away on Thursday November 30th after a long illness.

Séan, better known as John Riordan, was born in Dublin, April 22nd 1946. He was much loved and will be missed by his family and his communities in Dublin and West Cork.

During his career, John Riordan served on the first board of the Public Relations Consultants Association and chaired the board in 1993.

It was in 1979 that he set up Park Communications and led the company for 27 years.

He and his late wife Gill raised six daughters: Cathy, twins Dee and Jilly, Aoife, Joann, and Laurie.

Cathy told The Southern Star that John was someone who was quick to encourage and support the people around him and that has really come through in all the messages the family has received in the past few weeks.

‘John was an incredibly supportive boss and mentor throughout his career,’ she said. ‘He was genuinely interested in people. He was quick to encourage, praise and guide.’

His youngest daughter, Laurie, lives in CoAction in Skibbereen. And both John and Gill were great advocates for Laurie, as well as being active with other parents on behalf of CoAction.

After moving to Reenogrena in Glandore with Gill and Laurie in 2007, Cathy said he used his time to focus on his writing.

‘As a couple, they loved their community and neighbours in Reenogrena as well as the wider West Cork community including Union Hall, Skibbereen and Clonakilty.

‘They were both lovers of nature and community, meeting people, and the local market in Skibbereen was a favourite,’ Cathy added.

John and Gill, whose brother and family live in Union Hall, started taking family holidays and summers in West Cork more than 35 years ago while Laurie would attend CoAction summer camps.

Cathy said her father was involved in the local writers’ group and published three poetry books: Into the Wind, After the Storm and Wild Swimming. John also spent happy times at the Clonakilty Library Writers’ group sessions.

The late John Riordan speaking at De Barra's.

A friend from the group said his poetry ‘explored what it meant to be human in the realm of the spirit and soulful in the material world, always uncompromising.

‘With his wry Dub accent and a knowing glint, he would set you at ease with a gentle chuckle. Self-abasing, he never baulked at sensitivities and wrote from the gut with honesty and compassion.’

John often read his poetry on stage at DeBarra’s Spoken Word in Clonakilty.

Meanwhile, Gill facilitated a remarkable journaling workshop on January 16th, 2018 around the launch of her book, Journaling and the journey within.