A granddad-of-eight who died just days after contracting coronavirus will be buried beside his darling granddaughter who tragically died last year after a long battle with cancer.
Patrick 'Paddy' Mulhere was one of the many victims killed by the cruel disease this week. His heartbroken son Martyn told Dublin Live how the 82-year-old is today being laid to rest beside his beloved Kerri, who tragically died last year from leukaemia aged just 10.
He passed away in the care of Elmgreen Nursing Home in Castleknock, which was only recently a new place to call home for Paddy, who lived with his family for almost 50 years in Cabra where he had moved with his wife after growing up in Bluebell.
But, the father-of-four got to return to his beloved northside suburb for one last time this afternoon when the hearse carrying his remains passed through Cabra on Saturday before being laid to rest beside the late Kerri in Dunboyne, Meath.
Despite Kerri heroically beating a rare form of leukaemia thanks to a life-saving bone marrow transplant - the brave schoolgirl sadly lost her battle with the horrible cancer in February 2019.
Paddy's wife Anita (Snr), their children, Desmond, Damien, Anita (Jnr) and friends gathered near Drumcliffe Road on Saturday to wave farewell as he made his way to his final resting place, but for one heartbroken soul, his final wave was done through a livecam.
Speaking to Dublin Live from his countryside house in France where he's been living for almost 30 years, Paddy's son Martyn shared fond memories of a man he was proud to call dad.
He said: "It's strange. At home, my family are getting everything ready for his send-off and I'm stuck here in the French countryside and there's nothing I can do.
"I've tried to stay off social media even though it's been filled with kind words and well wishes from people sending love. My role in today's ceremony was to send off a poem that would be read by my brother at the ceremony, that's what I had to do."
The phone call that he would "never forget" came at half one on Wednesday, April 8.
"He contracted the virus about five or six days before he died. When he started showing symptoms, they put him in total confinement but he deteriorated rapidly.
"His urge to eat went away. He got an infection in his chest and it just finally got the better of him. He died very peacefully in the end and the test results had just come back to say he had test positive.
"He received incredible treatment where he was and we can't thank the staff enough for that."
And it was the same loving staff members who carefully plotted a safe way for Paddy's wife to get to say a final, close goodbye to her husband.
Martyn continued: "It was their 56th wedding anniversary on Saturday, April 4. Mam said to us, 'there's no way Saint Anthony would take him away from me on our anniversary'.
"Nobody was allowed see him, those were the rules. But, we explained the situation to the nurses about the special occasion, and they gave the go ahead for her to see him.
"Fully protected and wearing gloves, mam put her hand on his and said 'I love you' and she got a little pinch of the finger and he said 'I love you too' with all the strength he had left in him."
And it was only fitting that Paddy and Anita were together before his death because they were inseparable throughout life.
"They've never been apart. They used to go to Breffni Inn pub together on the Navan Road. They had their own little gang of friends but they were just as happy just the two of them whether they were on holidays abroad or down in the cottage in Cork, they couldn't be separated.
Although Bluebell by birth, Paddy slowly morphed into a Cabra native when they bought a house there in 1970.
"My mam is Cabra through and through and when they got married, they bought a house at St. Martin's, Drumcliffe Road across from my mam's mam.
"My dad worked in a car garage as a foreman but that closed up. When he got his severance package from the job, he decided to create his own garage from the house. We jokingly used to call it 'Curbside Motors' but it was 'Paddy Mulhere Motors'.
"He became famous in the area - he was the main man when it came to mechanics. He was quick but efficent. People would laugh and say the teachers would drop their cars in at the start of school and Paddy would have them ready to go by the end of the school day."
Paddy's granddaughter Kerri was his little angel and his heart never fully recovered from her death on February 9, 2019. The duo are reunited once again and describing their last photo together, Martyn said they were a powerful pair.
"I've been living in a part of France for 27 years, funnily enough, called St Martin d'Etampes which is about 60 miles from Paris.
"I try to get home as often as I can. Sadly, I didn't get to see dad this side of Christmas though between strikes and the virus.
"One of the last times I was home was when both he and Kerri were alive. I took their last photo together and you can just see from it that there is so much love between them.
"In Rooske Cemetery in Dunboyne, there's a little plot called 'Kerri's Garden'. That's where dad will be buried too."
And while the family deal with such a heartbreaking and tiring ordeal, Paddy's daughter and Kerri's mum, Anita, will return to the frontline after this, working as a nurse in Beaumont Hospital.
Martyn added: "She's the baby of the house so it's going to be especially difficult on her, with everything she's had to deal with over the past year.
"She's incredible. An absolute hero to do what she does. Mam insisted there be no flowers but instead asked people to donate, if desired, to cancer charity Aoibheann’s Pink Tie who continue to do such incredible work."
Another poignant fact is the day of Paddy's Death. He died alongside famous US country singer John Prine and Paddy was known to be a bit of an entertainer himself.
Martyn added: "Our family played 'Simply The Best' by Tina Turner at his graveside. He loved that song and everyone was singing it in his honour as he passed Drumcliffe Road one last time.
"It was his party piece. If we were at weddings or parties, it would come on and he would sit for a second and everyone would be saying his name and then he'd suddenly jump up and start belting it out."
Paddy Mulhere, beloved husband of Anita, dear father of Desmond, Martin, Damien and Anita and a devoted grandfather of Danielle, Amy, Saoirse, Hannah, Zac, Jay, Emma and the late Kerri. May he Rest in Peace.
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