The Nobel prize-winner Seamus Heaney paid an exquisite tribute to the late Olive Quinn, who will long be remembered for the key role she played in establishing the Open Door Day Care Centre in Bray.
Speaking at her graveside in Shanganagh cemetery, he picked up on some words of the liturgy of her funeral mass in the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer.
"Heaven," he remarked, " is one of the first words we become aware of in childhood." Seamus observed that as we grow older the idea of heaven flourishes more in our minds than in images formed in childhood. How right he is. With the passing of time the names, images and personalities of loved ones gone to heaven populate and crowd our minds and memories.
Seamus recited his beautiful poem The Wishing Tree at Olive╣s graveside.
In the poem he thinks about his recently deceased mother-in-law. "I thought of her as the wishing tree that died/ And saw it lifted root and branch to heaven." The poem concludes: "I had a vision/ Of an airy branch-head rising through the damp cloud/ Of turned-up faces where the tree had stood."
Olive was a "wishing tree" who fulfilled three great wishes: to love, to be loved, and to make life easier and happier for the physically handicapped and their families. Indeed, the olive tree possesses a wealth of symbolism: peace, fruitfulness, strength, victory and reward. All of these qualities Olive Quinn possessed, and more.
The Open Door Day Care Centre is the enduring manifestation of her love for her fellow human beings. How appropriate it was that three wheelchair-bound members of Open Door brought gifts to the altar before the Offertory of the Mass. Open Door is not just a haven; it is a heaven on earth for its members.
Many people and institutions worked long and hard to create it, but the initial idea was Olive's. In the early 1980s she developed the project with her friends Mary Hackett and Pβdraig∅n Hughes. Father John O'Connell PP arranged to make Fatima Hall available to them in 1984. An army of fundraisers, led by Joe Duggan and Jim Daly, joined the project, and in 1987 the Open Door facility moved to Boghall Road. The Department of Health, Eastern Health Board and the Wheelchair Association also played pivotal roles in its development. In 1994 Open Door moved to its present, purpose-built premises on Vevay Road, where more than 80 members enjoy its benefits.
Olive's commitment to her cause became legendary. During protracted negotiations she could talk entire delegations into submission to her will.
Never robust in health, she could use her delicate disposition to disarm and charm budget-conscious officials. Olive radiated style, personal and verbal, and had a dress sense that made her appear as royal as her native Co Meath.
Openness and generosity of spirit are qualities we associate with Olive and her husband John Quinn. It is fitting that she founded Open Door and that John's programme on RTE Radio One is called The Open Mind.
Olive is in heaven now, no doubt bending the ear of God to make even more good things happen for the members of Open Door. May she enjoy her eternal reward.
The grateful people of North Wicklow extend their condolences and appreciation to John, and to their children, Lisa, Deirdre and Declan.
P.H.