SOMEONE has written: "The aim of education is the knowledge not of facts, but of values." Those of us who spent some years with Richard at the Cistercian College, Roscrea, would be convinced that he (inadvertently, most probably) had absorbed this attitude towards schooling from an early age.
He successfully bypassed class time and study time as often as possible, and after a handful of years left school to be apprenticed to business. This led to his "serving his time" in places like Kerry, Nenagh and Tullamore. Eventually he returned to assist his very successful businessman father (working out of Shinrone), Richard Liffey, Sr.
Here he learned the facts of business life from observing his father, and he made the values inculcated in him by his teacher mother his own values. He was still a rather wild young man, yet he combined youthful exuberance with an innate flair for business.
He initiated the then nationally famous Shinrone Festival, securing all of the big name bands. At this time, in the 1950s and early 1960s, his exuberance and enthusiasm extended to all Shinrone dwellers who became proud of "our village".
A reference to Richard would be incomplete without a mention of greyhounds, and to them he applied his business principle and his love of risk taking - as a man who never took a risk never had anything to give. Over three decades he gave many successful hounds (which were reared on farmland by his beloved Auntie Moll) to the greyhound world.
Over 18 months ago, Richard learned he had a rare incurable disease. He was a marvel the way he accepted the news. But he had, for years and years, successfully battled with and won the war with his alcoholism. Plainly he had been taught the lesson that without reliance on God and on others one cannot overcome anything.
Richard's reaction was to continue as a businessman and to take a risk again - throw "one more dice" and buy another prospective Derby winner . . . and so Liffey Mills came into his ownership. He followed this dog (in a wheelchair) to the English Derby final in London, and hundreds of his guests will never forget the night in the New Stand and restaurants in Shelbourne Park when his dog contested the Irish Derby final.
Yes, Richard loved life, and principally loved Ann, his wife, and three sons and two daughters, Stephen, Barry, Rory, Fiona and Orla, his revered father (now 98 years of age), his brothers Geoff and Kevin, sisters Marie and Sheila, plus all his extended family. His extended family now includes nearly a hundred who work directly with and for the marvel he brought into being in 12 short years - Liffey Mills Ltd.
Providentially, in September 1994 his pastor, Fr Frank Bergin, was a patient in Saint Vincent's Hospital, Dublin and he was God's instrument, working on and with Richard as his soul friend. Richard loved best of all Jesus' prayer the Our Father upon which, with, lowered specs and energetic gesticulation and pungent punctuations he delivered to me solely, scintillating sermons. But to AA he owed a lot, and AA owes him a lot of its gratitude.
His second favourite prayer was: "Grant me, O Lord, the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things that I can and the wisdom to understand the difference".
Richard Liffey in a nutshell, in life here and in heaven hereafter.