Joan was ‘highly thought of and respected in the locality’
Joan Comerford played a big role in the community

Joan was ‘highly thought of and respected in the locality’

JOAN Comerford has been remembered as a stalwart of the Tallaght community, whose influence has left an indelible mark on the development of Balrothery, after she passed away last Friday at the age of 79.

Ms Comerford was the driving force in a campaign in 2001 against the development of 120 apartments where Balrothery Rise is now located, as she wanted houses to be built in keeping with the character of the area and to encourage strong roots in the community.

She was also involved in a number of community groups, including the East Tallaght Combined Residents’ Association and the Bancroft Residents’ Assocation, and worked closely with other members of the community including Eamonn Maloney, Gerry Stockil and Tara De Buitlear.

Ms Comerford’s daughter, Deirdre, told The Echo: “She wasn’t anti-development, she just thought things could’ve been done better in keeping with the developments that were already there.

“She never let anything go if she felt there was a better way of doing it.”

Balrothery Rise is now home to several houses, which serve as a legacy of Ms Comerford’s work in the community and the development of the area.

“She would’ve been very happy that there are now families settled there,” added Deirdre, “and that children are outside playing on the green space that she preserved.

“All she ever wanted was for houses to be available so families could settle and live their lives in the community.”

Ms Comerford’s impact on her family and the community was also reflected on at her funeral in St Aengus’s Church on Monday morning.

Fr Ben Moran, the funeral celebrant and parish priest for St Aengus’s, told The Echo: “Joan was a great campaigner – not in a militant way, but she was concerned about her neighbourhood and plans to build apartments and developments that were not in keeping with the existing developments in Balrothery.

“Joan campaigned about that over a number of years.”

He added: “She was a lovely person, and she was always very respectful. She was a woman of great principle and a great asset to the community.

“She was very highly thought of and respected in the locality.”

Ms Comerford was also an avid radio listener, according to her daughter, and she regularly had the dial turned to either BBC Radio 4 or RTÉ as she liked to be aware of what was going on in the world and stay informed.

“She was an avid gatherer of information and was very progressive,” said Deirdre.

Deirdre added that Ms Comerford’s family were proud of all that she had achieved throughout her life, however she added that her mother was never a woman who sought praise – her central focus was always on the betterment of her community for the good of the area.

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