Family the cornerstone of Maj McDowell's life

THE OVER-RIDING dynamic of Maj Thomas Bleakley McDowell's life was his cherished home and family, mourners at the former Irish Timeschairman's funeral service heard yesterday.

While Maj McDowell's achievements, particularly his leadership of The Irish Times, had been well documented, Canon Horace McKinley stressed the importance to "the Major" of his late wife, his children and grandchildren.

Maj McDowell, who was chief executive and chairman of The Irish Timesfor almost 40 years and oversaw its transformation in the 1970s from a commercial company to a trust that guaranteed its independence, died unexpectedly on Wednesday at the age of 86.

“Tom McDowell’s very substantial life achievements particularly included his long leadership role with The Irish Times, and that has already been well researched and documented,” Canon McKinley said.

“Very obviously, I have to leave any further comment on this to those who have the requisite qualification to do just that.”

He continued: “For me, the over-riding dynamic of his life, quite simply, was his home and family.”

He enjoyed a “long and deeply cherished marriage” with his beloved wife Margaret, who died in 1992. “And I don’t think it’s betraying a trade secret to state that Margaret’s death was probably the greatest challenge of all in his life.

“It was a long and painful struggle for him to try to come to terms with this intense personal loss and I feel he really never quite did achieve this. Like the Old Testament’s Saul and Jonathan, ‘in life and in death, they were not divided’.”

Canon McKinley recalled Maj McDowell’s pride in his family – his daughters Penelope and Karen, their husbands Timothy and John, and the “flourishing careers” of his grandchildren, Rupert, Antonia, Myles, Jeremy and Charles.

His home and family “gave Tom a really positive incentive for living, coupled with abundant inner contentment and happiness”.

On behalf of the bereaved family, Canon McKinley paid tribute to Tommy and Kyra Putt and Eileen Kelly for their “exceptional standards” of support for Maj McDowell for many years.

The hymns at his funeral service had been selected by Maj McDowell himself, as was the poem If by Rudyard Kipling, which was recited by his grandchildren Antonia and Charles.

The service took place in the small Whitechurch parish church in Rathfarnham where, Canon McKinley remarked, the installation of a new pipe organ and new stained glass windows had been paid for by Maj McDowell in memory of his marriage to Margaret.

“Very recently, Tom – though 86 years old – contacted me to discuss a plan of his in relation to generating additional resources for people whose lives are being adversely affected by the current recession,” he recalled.

“I was due to come back to him about now to finalise and indeed implement what he had planned and both of us had teased out.”

The Taoiseach was represented at yesterday's service by his aide-de-camp, Comdt Michael Treacy. Also present were the chairman of The Irish Times Ltd, David Went; the chairman of the Irish TimesTrust, Prof David McConnell; Irish Timesmanaging director Maeve Donovan; and editor Geraldine Kennedy.

Deputy editor Paul O’Neill and deputy managing director Liam Kavanagh were also in attendance.

Members of the Irish Times Trust present included David Begg, Dr Ruth Barrington, Judith Woodworth and Eoin O’Driscoll. Board members included Greg Sparks and John Fanning. Two former board chairmen, Brian Patterson and Don Reid, were present also as were former trust members Prof Dervilla Donnelly, Donal Nevin and Richard Wood.

A large contingent of current and former colleagues at the newspaper included former editor Conor Brady and former chief executive and group managing director Louis O’Neill.

Frank Cullen of the National Newspapers of Ireland attended, as did Sally and John Gageby, daughter and son of former Irish Timeseditor Douglas Gageby; Press Ombudsman John Horgan; chairman of the Press Council Tom Mitchell; Andrew O'Rorke of Hayes Solicitors; Vincent Crowley, chief executive and Joe Webb, deputy managing director of Independent Newspapers (Ireland); Rory O'Farrell of Deloitte; architects Maolíosa Ó Floinn and Michael and Ronnie Tallon; and journalist Vincent Browne.

Among former Irish Timescolleagues present were Gerry Mulvey, Pat O'Hara, Sean Olsen, Conor O'Clery, Don Buckley, Seamus McCague, Dermot James, Tom Kennan, Paddy Fitzpatrick, Eibhear Byrne, Alan Moran, Paddy Murphy and Richie Mooney.