John Arnold: Shop owner, family man, GAA fan... farewell to my friend PP

I don’t think I ever before saw a bag of cement in a funeral home, but on the day before New Year’s Eve the Irish Cement bag stood guard by a coffin in Cappawhite, Co. Tipperary.

The man was christened Peter Paul by his late parents Mick and Mai, but all his life was known as PP O Dwyer. Many called him Pips, but to us he was and always will be PP.

I’m not certain if it was 1990 or 1991 that I first met him. It might have been 1990 - the year Cork did the Double - so I had plenty to be talking about to a Tipperary man!

PP loved Gaelic Games, but hurling above anything else. Since last July, I dunno how many times he said to me: “What in the name of God happened to ye at all in that second-half?” No- one knows the answer to that.

He was thrilled, over the moon, on a ‘high’ with Tipp’s win over Cork yet he knew the hurt we felt and are still feeling.

Before I got to know PP, Tipperary had gone from 1971 until 1987 without a Munster Title - when Richard Stakelum declared in Killarney ‘The famine is over’ - two more years elapsed before the premier County won the All-Ireland.

Ring used say, “without Tipperary hurling is only half-dressed”, well, we in Cork feel fairly naked now after 21 barren years. In recent years, I often chatted about eras like that with PP. He loved that banter - in his own home, here in Bartlemy, or in this shop in Dundrum.

He grew up in the townland of Knockgormam in the parish of Donohill/Annacarty. He was a brave man because after ‘serving his time’ in the Co-op in Tipperary town he ventured into business on his own.

In 1976, at the age of 19, he purchased a house on the Main Street in the crossroads village of Dundrum -the parish next to his own. Made famous in the 1960s by the locally bred showjumper Dundrum and Tommy Wade, the village boasted a mecca for young dancers in the 1970s - the Golden Vale.

In that year of 1976, Big Tom, the Miami, Tommy Drennan, Doc Carroll, and Dermot O’Brien were amongst the big name bands to pack the Golden Vale.

“You’ll starve down there”, was the advice given to PP by one relation when he decided to open a hardware shop! With nuts, bolts, nails, screws, ballcocks, hammers and pikes and a few clean - but empty - ‘tins of paint’, PP opened his business. He did well, very well, mainly because he loved the business and meeting people.

Some shopkeepers and owners have that unique gift of knowing how to get the perfect balance of chat, serving the customer and never neglecting the next person to come through the door. PP O’Dwyer had that ability and talent in abundance. The business thrived.

In a few short years, he left that house in Main Street, Dundrum, and moved to a custom-built premises. He often told me that his life changed completely when he met my sister Nora - “I’m mad about her, John, you know that?” - and we did know it!

Now, first impressions sometimes can be wrong! The first time he came to our house in Garryantaggart, I thought he hadn’t much talk. Trying to make conversation - you know the way you’d be... kinda awkward! ‘You have a hardware shop?’ and ‘How will Tipp do this year in the hurling?’ and is it ‘Éire Óg Nenagh is your Club?’ The replies were mainly ‘Yes’, ‘I don’t know’ and ‘No’!

The ‘No’ was because I had mistaken Éire Óg Nenagh for his beloved Éire Óg Annacarty Donohill - a woeful error on my behalf!

Well, PP and Nora married here in Bartlemy in 1992 and there was no prouder woman in Ireland that day than May Arnold, our mam.

The wedding was in Garryvoe, a memorable day, as was the next day in Denis Barry’s Pub here in Bartlemy. We’ll never forget that day with PP’s ‘boyfriend’, the late Phil Ryan, in mighty form, and our neighbour and later life-long friend of PP’s - Peter O’Keeffe in a similar party mood.

That day I realised the importance of friends and ‘company’ and song and laughter to PP and his extended family.

Friday May 17, 1996, was red-letter day for PP and Nora. That day they moved ‘PP O Dwyer, Hardware’ into a huge new premises. Since then the business flourished and grew to be one serving huge parts of Tipperary and Limerick.

Loyalty to his customers was very important to PP and his staff. About 15 years ago a friend of mine from East Cork was trying in vain to source a supply of a certain silage net wrap. After many phone calls he was told the only place in Munster that had it was PP O Dwyer’s in Dundrum. Up he went and got what he wanted and he’s gone back to PP for the last 15 summers.

With the arrival of his three sons, Donal, Peter and Arnold, family life took on a new meaning for PP. Nora, who had worked in the bank for years, now combined the roles of mother, book-keeper, housewife, farmer’s wife and community activist with the full support of PP.

We started taking our fat pigs to get them killed and cured at nearby Crowe’s meats in Dundrum, and a call to the shop before and after delivering the pigs was essential. Again, ten days later when we brought home the bacon, we’d call in.

PP had that amazing knack of being on two phones, smoking a fag, writing a docket and saying ‘Hello’ to every new customer - he was the definition of multi-tasking!

In the shop, he knew exactly where everything was- if you wanted a three-quarter inch, right angle, one-way, non-return valve for any job, he’d know where to find it.

He had played with the Éire Óg club himself and always spoke of “winning the West (Tipperary) title” and what it meant to a club that was strong in both hurling and football.

The lads all donned the blue jersey of Éire Óg to his pride and joy. He saw the club grow and helped as a mentor and sponsor.

With Tipperary, he was so proud of Pat Fox - his neighbour - and never ceased to praise the ‘everlasting’ John Quinn who gave such service to Éire Óg.

PP loved the GAA, the fag, and the drop, and loved the chat and craic in Crosses or Mary Connies or Jerry Jacks. In recent years, the arrival of Ellie Mai and Hazel brought such joy and happiness to both PP and Nora.

Then, suddenly, all changed, changed utterly, when PP died unexpectedly in his home at Rossacrowe.

From 2pm to 11pm, thousands came to pay their respects in Cappawhite - PP would have loved the symbolism of the bag of cement by his coffin.

Friends and relations dug his grave in Annacarty and filled it in too. Music was played and songs were sung - he loved that.

Now his chair is empty, his cough is silent, and his cigarettes left untouched. We all miss him so much, his heart, his spirit, his soul ‘flies far away, by night and by day’ but will always be near us and doing his best to guard his family - the loves of his life.

We were up in Annacarty on Friday evening – the Tipperary Senior team were training on the Éire Óg pitch, PP would be proud of that.

Next Saturday, as thousands of Cork and Tipperary hurling fans gather by the Lee, stories will be told, songs will be sung as the ash clashes. Amongst the crowd, people like PP O’Dwyer will be remembered.

Thanks for being such a huge part of our family, PP.