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A COUPLE IN their 80s have died just hours apart in Waterford after 59 years of marriage.
Bridie Stafford (80) passed away after a long illness on Monday evening. Her husband Mattie (82) died of a heart attack just hours later on Tuesday morning.
The couple were very well-known in local circles as natives of the city. Mattie was heavily involved with local soccer and had only been elected chairman of the Waterford Junior League just five weeks ago.
DJ with local radio station WLR FM Matt Keane, who had known Mattie for many years, spoke to TheJournal.ie of his respect and admiration for the couple.
“They were very quiet, very private, but they were absolutely inseparable,” he said.
I have known Mattie all my life. They were very, very respected local figures.
It’s terribly sad but then they get to be buried together after living full lives, not all of us can say such a thing.
While Mattie had not been well recently his illness was not life-threatening according to Keane.
“It was a broken heart, no doubt about it,” he said.
Both Mattie and Bridie were Waterford born and bred. Married in 1957, they had a brief stint living in Galway (where Mattie worked as a plumber) before returning to the city of their birth in the early 1960s.
“Mattie was originally a cricket player, but he returned to Waterford in 1961 after a friend of his Gene Roche encouraged him to come home and referee the football,” said Keane.
He famously refereed a titanic match at Kilcohan Park (now a greyhound stadium) when 10,000 packed the rafters to see Waterford United beat Cork Hibernians.
The couple will be buried together following a Requiem Mass on Friday, 28 August at the Sacred Heart Church, The Folly, Waterford.
They are survived by five daughters and one son, nine grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
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Nope, it suxx, but I like Ed sheeran, seems a sound bloke.
@Darren Matthews: this should have been a poll option! I’m happy for the geezer and with him all the happiness his success can bring, but if he was strumming in my front garden I’d close the curtains – after dropping him out a cup of tea first of course!
I don’t think I’d know one of his songs
Sad to say I’ve turned into my dad, music was better in my day and so on.
@Nollaig Kelly: just flick on the radio pal, I’d say a quick scan through all the stations and it will seem that you will find one of his songs on at any given moment. Incredibly popular musician with the main stream radio stations.
@Gordon Larney: in super. markets and pubs its mostly 60,s and seventies music.. All the modern singers now are like wet milky tea with dollops of sugar.. What people see in Ed sheerins feeble warbling is beyond me! My generation were brought up on the stones, beatles, lead zeplin.. Beach Boys.. Blues, soul.. Jazz.
..ie quality music.. Music now is instantly Disposable to appease the tone challenged.!
Saw him in Vicar Street last night. Really amazing gig, he really engages with his audience.
There are a lot of people in Limerick & Cork very annoyed that this bloke is being allowed to play in their stadiums while their teams have to play elsewhere.
@O’Brien Michael: not his fault to be fair
@O’Brien Michael: That’s the GAAs decision, Ed didn’t hijack the stadiums! They can be annoyed, just not with him.
@O’Brien Michael: blame ur stadium ownets and teams
No I like led zepplin now they knew how t plargerise…
Nanana nanana ….
Decent lad , skipping his songs.
Everything is muck since Roy Orbison died
@Aonghus O Flaherty: what a voice Roy had. Could listen to him all day.
@Brian Dunne: Amen!
His music wouldn’t be to my taste – I’m a Depeche Mode fan more than anything else – but as other people have said here he seems to be a pretty decent chap. I’d sooner have him come here than another performer whose name I will not utter.
his songs are well constructed, diverse and always have a story behind them. even song wrote for other people have the same feeling, while bringing in co-writers like johnny from snow patrol have made him more rounded. they might be easy listening staples, but they’re goid songs.
I’ve seen some odd polls on the journal but this is way up there! Obviously I took part. Who doesn’t!
A-team is a great song. I don’t really know any others.
@Caroline Otoole: This song comes on in my car every time I switch it on. Drives me nuts. I must delete it. He seems like a decent lad and I wish him well but his songs are all a bit samey and just not my cup of tea.
@Caroline Otoole: “in 1972 a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn’t commit….if you have a problem, and no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire….”
The radio is after turning me off him cause they play his songs constantly
He is one of my Bad Habits.
Ill get my coat.
@Jason Flynn-Wall: That joke gave me Shivers
I couldn’t possibly listen to someone who shares a barber with Boris Johnson
Jazz musicians are fine when they play Bach.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=leipzig+jazz+bach+youtube&docid=608008425553012690&mid=87BFDE134A4CEA8453A887BFDE134A4CEA8453A8&view=detail&FORM=VIRE
I’m not in to pop so
I couldn’t possibly listen to someone who shares a barber with Boris Johnson
have your say