BILL KIRBY was well liked and highly respected in Tralee so the news of his untimely death was greeted with sadness and a pall of gloom hung over the town for several days.
Bill Kirby was born in Ardfert, and was educated at the local National School, where his father was a staff member. He received his secondary education at that famed football nursery St Brendan’s College in Killarney.
Bill went to work in the catering industry, and soon purchased a Public House in Bandon, The Munster Arms’. While in Bandon, Bill earned a great reputation for service and loyalty to his customers. Among the many friends Bill made during his stay, was Flor Crowley, who was at the time a Fianna Fail TD for Cork South West. Flor’s son Brian recalled the close ties between the Kirby and Crowley family when he chose the Brogue to launch his election campaign in Kerry for the European Parliament in 1999.
Like the savage beast, Bill yearned for the opportunity to return to his native county, and when The Brogue Inn, formerly known as Horgan’s went on the market towards the end of the 1970’s, Bill together with his wife Mary and young family acquired the premises.
Bill and Mary Kirby devoted a lot of time and energy to build up the Brogue, which soon became a local landmark.
Kirby’s Brogue Inn has since become a very popular institution in Tralee and County Kerry. Whether you were a local or from further afield, you were always assured of a hearty ‘Céad Míle Fáilte’ from Bill and his family.
Bill’s generosity was known far and wide. He got involved in a lot of local charities and organisations two of which were close to his own heart, Conquer Cancer and Alzheimer’s. Bill regularly hosted coffee mornings and fund raisers for these charities. He became an active member of the Rock Street Trader’s Association, and also collected locally for the Festival of Kerry. Jovial Bill earned the name ‘Mr Tralee’, and richly deserved this honour. Indeed, two lines in the beatitudes sum Bill up perfectly: ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy, blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God.’
The great loves in Bill Kirby’s life were family and sport, particularly Gaelic Games, Horse Racing and Greyhound Sports. Bill’s son William won his way onto the Kerry and Austin Stacks panels in the mid 1990’s, and Bill was always there to encourage and support William and his colleagues, willing them to victory. All-Ireland final was a special time for Bill, and he always made sure that the Rock was festooned with green and gold and black and amber favours. The Brogue hosted numerous GAA functions and is now the unofficial headquarters of the Kerry team and supporters in Tralee. Many sporting bodies and community organisations throughout Tralee and further afield had first-hand experience of Bill’s generosity. He was sponsor of the Ardfert Hurling team, and for the past number of years, he hosted an end-of-season get-together for members of our Senior Football team and management in the Brogue. He was a great friend of the Pan Celtic Festival which was held in Tralee for a number of years in the late 1990s and early part of this decade. A number of years ago, Bill was presented with a Mayor’s award by the then Mayor Cllr Johnny Wall for his services to Tralee. It was an honour richly deserved.
From early on Sunday morning, large crowds gathered to pay their respects to Bill and sympathise and with his wife Mary and their family. It was fitting therefore that Bill’s final journey on Tuesday morning should take him down ‘The Street of Champions’ as he so proudly called it, for one last time. The funeral cortege paused outside The Brogue as it made it’s way to Ardfert for burial. The sun shone brightly, but the heart of Tralee was heavy.
To Mary, William, Fergal, Eoghan and Ruadhiri, Maria, Helena and Fiona, Bill’s brothers Timothy, Brendan, Tom and Eamonn, his grandchildren, nephews, nieces and many friends we extend our deepest sympathy at this sad time.
Ní beidh a leithíid ann aris.