CURRAN, Aongus

CURRAN, Aongus J., M.D., F.R.C.S.I., F.R.C.S.I. (ORL-HNS), Professor of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology /Head and Neck Surgery, UCD, St. Vincent's and the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospitals (Westminster Road, Foxrock, Dublin and formerly of 'Owenriff', Oughterard, Co. Galway) who lost his life on Lough Corrib on August 12, 2016. On the occasion of his First Anniversary, Aongus's wife Noreen (née Dowd), children Tom, Aoife, Matthew, Mary and Aongus Óg, his parents Bobby and Phil, sisters Fiona Grealish, Ruth Cunningham and Niamh, his brother Eoin and the extended Dowd family express their deepest gratitude to all of those who sympathised and supported us in our heart-breaking grief. We especially thank the following: The Search and Rescue teams of the Shannon based Irish Coast Guard Helicopters, Costello Bay Coast Guard, Valentia Coast Guard; Galway, Longford Sub-Aqua Clubs and Gardaí Units; the Gardaí, led by Superintendent Pat McHugh, Sergeant Joe Folan, Sergeant Karen Maloney, Sergeant John Conway and Sergeant Liam Grimes; Oranmore / Galway Civil Defence; Inland Fisheries led by Dr. Greg Forde, Tommy Kelly, Martin Butler; Mariusz and Ala Perlik on Inis Sean Bó; Billy Molloy and shore searchers. To the anglers and boatmen of the Corrib Catchment areas especially Tommy Tuck, Brendan Ferguson, John Gibbons, Kevin Molloy, Patrick Molloy, Mike Healy and the Corrib-Mask Search and Rescue team led by Pat Egan, Niall Ó Meachair, Vincent Heneghan and Pat Shannon who risked their own lives in gale force winds to locate Aongus, we will be forever grateful. Thank you to our neighbours and friends for their support and kindness. Thank you to those who supplied food: John Grealish of SuperValu Moycullen; from Oughterard: Power's Thatch, Keoghs, Finnertys, McGeoughs, Breathnachs, Lake Hotel, Frank Kinsella, Nora O'Toole and also to the volunteers Mary Kyne, Ann Gibbons, Ann Ferguson, Mary Lambert, Barbara McGauley, Kathleen McGauley, Bridie Boyce, Mary Ferriter, Nora Kelly, Mary Kelly, Mags Kinsella, Ms. Henry Curran and Ms. Frank O'Connor who served food to the search parties at Oughterard Pier. We are deeply grateful to Canon Michael McLoughlin of Galway and Fr. Michael Connolly of Oughterard and to the thousands of people who paid their respects to Aongus at Dermot Walsh's Funeral Home and later in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Oughterard; to those who carried Aongus's coffin from the Funeral Home to the Church and to those who formed a Guard of Honour. Our thanks also to the singers from Cois Cladaigh who sang so beautifully as Aongus's remains were received in the Church. Thank you most sincerely to Dermot Walsh and to Carnegies Undertakers who co-ordinated the funeral so graciously. We are deeply grateful to the priests who concelebrated the Requiem Mass in the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Foxrock especially the Parish Priest, Fr. Frank Herron for his beautiful homily and to Fr. Liam Cuffe, Fr. Micheál Donnelly, Fr. Eugene Duffy, Fr. Conal O'Connell, Fr. Brian Gough, Fr. Chris Fox, Fr. Gerry Byrne and Fr. Cormac Ó Brolcháin. Thank you to Goretti Newell, Choir Mistress and Organist, Paul Byrom Soloist, Marie Comiskey Flautist for their magnificent music and singing which made the Mass so beautiful. Thank you to Tom Fortune, Sacristan and the team in Foxrock Parish Church. We are deeply grateful to everyone who attended the funeral Mass, especially Uachtarán na hÉireann, Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina. A special word of thanks to the Principals, teachers and in particular the pupils of Blackrock College, Loreto College, Foxrock and St. Brigid's Boys' Primary School, Foxrock who, despite being on their summer break, gave their time to form touching Guards of Honour both inside and outside the church; sincere thanks to Kilmacud Crokes GAA Club and Park Celtic F.C. for their ongoing support. The Mass booklets supplied by Greg Cunningham of J.C. Printers were much appreciated. The outpouring of support from friends, neighbours and our extended families, school communities, medical and nursing colleagues, staff from UCD, St Vincent's, RVEEH, St. James's Hospital, Blackrock, Beacon and Hermitage Hospitals and the wider medical and nursing community throughout Ireland has been a tremendous source of support and comfort to us. The many warm and beautiful tributes to Aongus in the public media and privately in letters and cards received, especially from Aongus's students, colleagues and