AN IRISHMAN who sailed solo around the world aged 70 was laid to rest in his beloved Co Kerry yesterday.
Pat Lawless, whose solo circumnavigation of the world made him a household name in the late 1990s, died suddenly at his home in Limerick last weekend, aged 84.
He received a hero’s welcome back in July 1996 when he sailed up the Shannon Estuary in his 30ft vessel The Sea Dog, after completing his epic 30,000-mile voyage.
The father of six from the South Circular Road in Limerick city was laid to rest in his beloved Dún Chaoin in Co Kerry yesterday following Mass at St Joseph’s Church in Limerick city.
His grandchildren brought to the altar a number of gifts symbolising his life, including a small boat, a globe, a violin, and a sailor’s cap. During the Mass his son Pat recalled some of his father’s many sailing adventures.
“He had many achievements, and as we know some were very unique. He sailed the Atlantic in his own 26ft boat The Iniscealtra, and the following year he sailed what we call the return leg from Newport, Rhode Island, to Tarbert Island in Co Kerry, where he played as a boy,” Pat recalled.
“That wasn’t enough for him – he subsequently attempted twice to sail the world. Some people might try it once, but on his third attempt he made it, and none of us can comprehend what it must have been like to have sailed a solo circumnavigation of the world at the age of 70,” he continued.
Pat Lawless’s interest in sailing came relatively late in life, and he became a member of Iniscealtra Sailing Club in Mountshannon, Co Clare.
He died suddenly at his home at Harbour View, South Circular Road, last Friday.
He is survived by his wife Nancy, daughter Helen, sons Jim, Pat, Dan, John and Peter, sister Betty, grandchildren, great grandchildren, relatives and his many friends.