Family man Aidan was always kind generous and a soft man

David Thomas, Aidan Thomas’s youngest son writes a small tribute to his Dad.

Dad had two sides. His public side which is the side everyone saw. His personal side which is the side that we his family saw. As Dad used to say, there were two sides to a coin. Dad had two sides to his coin. Dad’s coin was ‘The compassionate and eager to ensure everyone was ok’ coin.

One evening Dad was sitting with me. I could see he was agitated in himself. I turned around to him and asked if he was ok. He looked at me and said…

“We shouldn’t be going to them with our begging bowls looking for scraps of funding, they should be coming to us begging us to help in cleaning up the mess they have created.” He was in the middle of writing a Budget Submission.

I’ll never forget, when I was small, the night Dad came home from a Vincent de Paul call with his good friend and mentor Des O’Neill. Both Des and Dad were quite upset and deep in conversation.

I was young at the time but, my sense picked up that something was wrong.

My Dad didn’t really want to share with me but, I persisted to ask what was wrong.

He told me that they were trying to figure out how to help the mother with her children so she didn’t have to turn the cooker on to heat her house. It was then that I began to realise and understand what Dad was doing. He was trying to help people.

My earliest memories of Dad include our weekly Saturday night treat. Times were simpler years ago.

Dad used to take a trip into The Borza in the village on the way home from Mass.

He would buy six Dairymilk Bars and we loved it. I so loved Saturday nights for the Dairymilks. Sometimes when there were no Dairymilks they became Choc Ices instead. So simple yet it bound us together.

Dad was always a kind, generous and soft man. A man’s strength lies not in how tough or hard they are but in how gentle, understanding and caring they are with their children and for those around them.

Dad had all those kind traits in spades. He always saw the ‘good’ in people.

Yes, he did get irritated by those he believed were making short sighted planning decisions but, I guarantee you he’s currently putting his point across on Heaven’s High Street in a respectful and thoughtful manner.

He treated all his children differently. The reason he did this is because we all necessitated being treated differently. He had the insight to do this not only with his children but also in his dealings with the wider community. He understood that everyone was unique and had a different set of needs.

He realised that the ‘same thing could be said five different ways’ and he said ‘the same thing five different ways’ depending on which of us he was with.

Our mam Pauline is currently in Kiltipper Nursing Home and I know this broke Dad’s heart. Covid proved tough.

Meeting Mam in a tent outside the nursing home was hard to watch and I know Dad struggled with it. Dad and Mam spent 56 years together before Mam went into Kiltipper in 2020.

Writing this is probably the last time that William (Will) in The Echo will receive a letter involving Aidan. Will used to be Dad’s communication focal point for his community submissions.

We’ll all miss Dad. The Family, the Neighbours, the Community and The Echo. As I sit here and look over at his chair in the corner I see his Dublin Jersey, his Walking Stick, his Dublin Scarf and his Hat and I realise …..we will always be ‘Aidan Thomas’s children’, our children will always be ‘Aidan Thomas’s grandchildren’ and my Mam will always be ‘Aidan Thomas’s Wife’….and for that we are proud.

Keep the Faith!!!

Thank You…

As a family, we would love to take the opportunity to thank so many special people. It would also mean a lot to Aidan.

Denise and Barbara. The ‘Homecare Girls’ who cared so lovingly for both Mam and Dad.

Lena Kelly and her team of public health nurses at Tymon/Kilnamanagh Primary Care Centre who looked after Dad with so much care and humour.

Elizabeth O’Neill at the Leg Ulcer Clinic in Tallaght Hospital who did her utmost to keep Dad moving over the last year.

Catherine Wall, Dad’s consultant at Tallaght Hospital who we joked was Dad’s ‘Other Woman’.

Fr John’s Pastoral Care team at Tallaght Hospital who were absolutely amazing and stepped in to bridge the gap when family couldn’t visit.

Chaplain Gabriel at Tallaght. You were an angel sent to us in very stressful times.

Palliative Care nurses Aoife, Mariam and Patrick who nursed Dad so tenderly and lovingly with such dignity in his final days.

The Flanagan Family for singing so beautifully at Dad’s mass on Friday.

Fr Donal Roche, Fr Al and Fr Pat Lucey for looking after dad in such a compassionate and loving manner.

All the staff at Fanagans for being absolutely fantastic and so professional.

The loving Bancroft, Tallaght and Priory community. The kindness shown to Dad was overwhelming. The house calls, the phone calls, the chats, the fun, the laughs, the cards, the pressies, the bakes and the good wishes.

We are indebted to you in some many ways.