Man who lay undiscovered at West Cork flat for six months remembered as 'magical father'
Olivia Kelleher
A 61-year-old man who may have lain dead in his flat in Castletownbere in West Cork for almost six months was described as a “magical father and a treasured brother” at a service in the Island Crematorium in Ringaskiddy on Friday.
A file is to prepared for the Coroner’s Court following the discovery of the body of English-born screenwriter Mark Watters who was found dead in the hallway of his flat at the Courtyard complex in Castletownbere on May 8th last.
Maintenance staff had called to check on the flat.
A postmortem was subsequently carried out. However, there was no suggestion of foul play.
Investigating gardaí found an unopened Christmas card with a December 18th date stamp, suggesting the father of three possibly died sometime around the middle of that month.
Neighbours said that he was a private man who “kept himself to himself.” He had opted to become reclusive, with some locals believing he had left the area as he had not been seen for some time.
His son, Samudra, told mourners at the 2pm service on Friday his last physical interaction with his father before he moved overseas was on November 15th.
He had stayed in West Cork for two months prior to emigrating to Vancouver in Canada and the pair spoke daily in this period.
“(We were) reliving our precious memories and cultivating our relationship to its former glory. We gave each other closure and this is the most important thing I have ever done.”
Samudra said that his late father had a “beautiful mind.”
“Being exposed to somebody so authentically infectious is rare. To be raised by somebody so infectiously authentic was my privilege. The way he saw the world was outstanding.
"His ability to transform the hardest in to the hilarious and the worst in to the most comforting showed a level of comprehension of social dynamics and empathy unparalleled by any entity I have ever been exposed to.
"His magic and eccentricities allowed him to control his fate. He knew himself. Knew what he want and knew how to get himself there.
"He saw obstructions as puzzles. Unfortunately, with all cerebral gifts lies a responsibility to control them. The cost of this perception and awareness was alienation.
"My father was my mentor, best friend and biggest inspiration. I have no hesitation that his imprint will remain.”
Meanwhile, Elizabeth Watters, a late sibling of the deceased, spoke on behalf of herself and her sisters Virginia and Rosemary. She said Rosemary, who was watching the livestream from Australia. Had sent a message with memories which the three sisters shared.
“Mark was born in Oxford on January 9th, 1963. The winter of the big freeze and shortly his birth he was rushed to hospital with a life-threatening condition. Drama from the start, our dear brother Mark.
From newborn baby in mum’s arms. Three sisters on tiptoe in the snow to see Mark through a hospital window. Anxious. Smitten. Our dear brother Mark.
The toddler with the cheeky grin. The joyful child and mischievously tweenie who already knew how to charm. The restless and rebellious teenager pushing boundaries.”
She recalled Mark’s success as a film scriptwriter and his love of the arts.
“The raconteur at parties. Life and soul. Our dear brother man. The lovely father to Samudra his soul mate from the beginning to the very end. His son Tiger whom he mourned and daughter Grace whom he deeply missed. Our dear brother Mark.”
Elizabeth said her late brother was “a lover of nature.”
“The mountains and sea. The hermit that he chose to be. His three sisters only allowed to care for him from afar. He now watches over us in the embrace of loved ones who have gone before with true peace and spiritual calm. To our dear brother Mark who we three sisters loved we say a sad goodbye.”
The service ended with a family reading out a quote from philosopher and orator Jiddu Krishnamurti about relationships.
“No one can live without a relationship. You may withdraw in to the mountains, became a monk, a sannyasi, wander off into to the desert by yourself but you are related. You cannot escape from that absolute fact. You cannot exist in isolation.”
The loved ones of Mark also thanked gardaí in Bantry, staff at the mortuary at CUH, Forde’s funeral home and staff at Island Crematorium for their kindness and professionalism in recent days.
A second memorial will be held at the Lighthouse pub in Allihies tomorrow evening. Mr Watters had resided in the town for a period of time. He also lived in Walkinstown in Dublin.
The live stream concluded with a recording of “Into the Mystic” by Van Morrison. Samudra also sang a song he had written about his father at the service.
Mr Watters is survived by his son Samudra, daughter Grace and his three sisters. He was predeceased by his child Tiger, and his parents Maura and Gerald.
He is also missed by his nephew Joseph, brothers-in-law, aunt and uncle and Nilmini the mother of his children.
