The chairman of the board of the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) who died unexpectedly last Tuesday was described as a “proud Kerry man” by his sister during his funeral Mass.
Pat O’Mahony served as chairman of the watchdog’s board from October 2018 until his death. He previously served on a number of public and private sector boards, while he was also an adjunct professor in University College Cork’s School of Pharmacy.
He was predeceased by his wife Margaret. Prof O’Mahony is survived by his brother John, sisters Helen, Mary and Bernadette, his brother-in-law Peter and sister-in-law Maureen.
In her eulogy Ber (Bernadette) O’Mahony told the congregation in St Brendan’s Church, Ardfert in Co Kerry that “Pat had a long and distinguished career, a high-achieving middle child”.
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She detailed how he began his professional career in a private veterinary practice and later took on “ many other roles, in both public and private sector, in food safety, Health Products Regulatory Authority and most recently Hiqa”.
“To the person behind the career - Pat spoke very fondly of the start he got in life and he counted himself lucky, as we all do, to have the parents we had.”
Ms O’Mahony told how 2½ years ago, “Pat stood here and paid tribute to Margaret [his late wife]. He told us how they met as teenagers, fell in love, married and had many happy years together. Sadly, Margaret passed away in 2023. Pat was devoted to her right to the very end and her passing left a void in his life that nothing could fill.”
Mourners heard that four years ago, Prof O’Mahony began a transition from “city mouse to country mouse” when he bought his uncle’s house in Banemore.
“We were all happy to have him back in Kerry and hoped he would have a long and fulfilling life here. He took great joy in reconnecting with his nieces and nephews, and looked forward to strengthening those relationships. He was utterly charmed by the next generation, his grand nieces and grand nephews,” said Ms O’Mahony.
She described how her brother “took on the project of renovating his house with great gusto”, and that his ideas were plentiful.
“He loved helping the builders. He was rightly proud of the finished product, the house. He was beginning to settle in and enjoy it. He loved gardening and spent a lot of time working on it. I wish he had seen all his plans come to fruition. He was extremely proud of being from Kerry and of Kerry, and he brought it with him everywhere he went.“
His sister recounted how he was “meticulous in all things”.
“When his last dog Hope died just over a year ago, he wavered between never getting another one and thinking about it while we encouraged one to get one. Now as things have transpired it might have been for the best because I don’t think any of us would have been trusted to take care of it.
“Pat had a deep and abiding faith which helped him in the darkest of times. He had a firm belief that he would be reunited with Margaret, and we hope that now he is.
“We would have loved to have had him for longer but sadly that was not to be. We pray that he is now at peace.”
Symbols of Prof O’Mahony’s life were presented and included a picture of Margaret and Hope, the two loves of his life, a family picture from his childhood showing him holding his pet dog Spot and flowers from his garden which showed how proud he was of how it was taking shape.
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Fr Tadhg Fitzgerald, who concelebrated the Mass, told how Prof O’Mahony’s family and mourners had come to gather in the church “in a state of shock at [his] untimely death and yet in our grief we gather to celebrate his life”.
We have much to be grateful for in the life of Pat.”
His burial was held afterwards in Abbey Cemetery, Ardfert.
