It all started on 20th. September 1962. Carmel had turned 18 a month before. She and some girlfriends decided to hit Lisdoonvarna, known far and wide for its matchmaking, but for us young locals, it was just a place where in September there was a dance or hop seven nights a week. That chance meeting led to a wonderful life that lasted 63 years. Carmel (née Custy) was born in Dysart, Co. Clare, a rural parish between Ennis and Corofin. The school and Church were almost 3 miles away and nobody had cars. She was an only girl with two brothers, 4 & 5years older. She had a great interest in nature and would climb trees and sit for hours watching the birds feeding their young. That love of nature continued throughout her life.
Even from an early age, Carmel was passionate about sport, particularly camogie and tennis and played both in Secondary School.
She joined the State Radio section of the Civil Service and was based at an outlying station near Shannon Airport. Its function was to decipher messages from incoming aircraft and transmit to Air Traffic Control in the airport. When we got married in 1969, as a female she had no option but to resign. She often said later that it was probably the best thing that happened to her (apart from her marriage as I would point out). She began teaching in Laurel Hill, a private junior school in Limerick and when we moved to Dublin in 1974, she taught in the junior school in Scoil Íosa in Malahide. While there she got the opportunity to join the Tennis Club and made some wonderful lifelong friends.
Around this time, she heard about Bridge and she thought she’d give it a try. She went to classes but found them a bit slow. She got her hands on a CBAI diary which had about 20 hands with the bidding explained. She got the bug and never looked back. She played in both Portmarnock clubs and loved the competitive element. When Margo English made the sales pitch in Portmarnock for Malahide Regional, Carmel was immediately hooked and not alone that, she said to me that if I was ever to take up the game, now was the time. We both became founder members in 1986. Sometime later she was asked to become Bar Secretary, then Vice President and then the first female President for the 1996/97 season.
There were many other strings to Carmel’s bow. In the late ‘70’s. Carmel completed a course on Pre-School Playgoup management and opened her own playgroup. She ran it for almost 15 years and enjoyed every moment of it. She had a wonderful way with young children and got the very best out of them.
In the early 90’s everyone was talking about golf and eventually through her tennis and bridge connections she became a member of the Island G.C. She loved the Island and the different challenge presented by the course, each time she played. She became Lady Captain there in 2012.
While all this was happening, Carmel was busy raising our family, getting them to school, ferrying them to Camogie, Hockey, Hurling and Football matches. It was a hectic life but very rewarding.
During Camel’s illness, the true meaning of family came through. It was heart warming to see Janet, Emma and Robert step up to the plate to ensure that Carmel, during her illness, was looked after on a 24/7 basis. Also, the contribution of St. Francis Hospice, Raheny during this time, was tremendous.
Many years ago, I came across a quote by Schubert, the composer;
“Happy is the man who finds a true friend and far
happier is he who finds that true friend is his wife’”.
It says it all
Bob Linnane
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