By Dan Walsh
Tributes were paid to maritime legend Jack O’Leary, who was laid to rest in St. Ibar’s Cemetery, Crosstown on Tuesday. A friend aptly described him on social media as “a gentleman, a Wexford seafarer, and a great recorder of Wexford’s maritime history.”
Jack, fondly referred to as ‘Captain Jack’ of Magdalens Terrace in Maudlintown, Wexford town, passed away on Sunday at the age of 80.
Jack started his seafaring career in 1961 on the Rosslare Harbour-Fishguard ferry route with the crew of the ‘St. Andrew’. The operations company, originally Great Western, was later renamed British Rail, then Sealink, and is now StenaLine.
Jack, an expert in maritime history, who earned a diploma in Local History at NUI Maynooth. He co-authored the book ‘Sailing Ships of Wexford 1840s to the 1940s‘ with Brian Cleare, published in 2019.
The work is “dedicated to the memory of the sailors from County Wexford who went to sea in the days of sail, many to find their final resting place in the ocean deep.”
He was a founding member of the Rosslare Harbour Maritime Enthusiasts Group, established in 2012. Additionally, he was a dedicated supporter of the South End Sea Shanty Singers and an enthusiastic advocate for the Wexford Maritime Festival.
Beloved husband of the late Patricia. Dear father of Darragh, Ciara, Conor, Ruairí. Brother of the late Jim. Very sadly missed by his sons, daughter, grandchildren Jack, Sarah, Shay, Cormac, Medb, Arthur, Andrew and Woody. Daughters-in-law Denise, Fiona and Lorraine, son-in-law Phillip, brother-in-law Kevin, sister-in-law Margaret, nephews Brian, Niall and Donal, extended family, neighbours and friends. May He Rest in Peace.
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