An artist and a chieftain laid to rest

One of the last direct descendants of the O’Donoghue Mór of Ross Castle was laid to rest this week.

Tighe O’Donoghue Ross passed away at his Glenflesk home on May 30. The native New Yorker was an esteemed artist and his work his prominent in many areas around Killarney and Kerry.

When he moved ‘home’ to Glenflesk in 1986he was able to establish, through DNA, that he was a direct descendent of the one-time rulers of the Lough Lein region.

As an artist he made a lasting impression on the region.

One of his most famous works is the ‘An Capall Mór’ sculpture on the County Bounds roads between Glenflesk and Ballyvourney.

The 81-year old also created the famous ‘Dawn and Dusk’ stain-glass windows in St Mary’s Cathedral and the statue of Saint Brendan that overlooks Tralee bay from the head of Fenit Pier.

He is survived by his wife Elizabeth; son and heir to the chieftainship, Eoghan, his wife Deirdre and their sons Tiernan, Lorcan and Darragh; daughter Siobhán, her husband Bernard and their children Alanna and Hugo; daughter D’Ana, her husband John and their sons Sean and Donal; his sister Nancy, niece Melissa and her husband Chris and children Riley and Ryan.

His Requiem Mass took place on Wednesday morning this week.