ON SATURDAY, March 3Rd, Denis Moriarty

34 KERRY‘S EYE 15TH MARCH 2012 EARLY INTEREST GREW INTO LEADING ENGINEERING COMPANY Denis Moriarty Castle Street, Tralee, during the contruction of the culvert in May 1974 Tralee scheme was a Moriarty landmark For many hundreds of years, the town centre in Tralee Denis achieved was plagued by flooding caused by the heavy rains that fall on the western coast and a number of solu- tions were proposed to deal with it. From time to time, when The main contract went to heavy rain coincided with high Denis Moriarty and involved tides, very serious instances of the construction of a two-mile much in Kerry flooding occurred, causing concrete culvert taking the sur- serious losses for businesses plus water out of the Big River and threats to the lives of the (one of the principal problem people. areas) at Oakpark, beneath the N SATURDAY, March 3rd, Denis Moriarty The town has a lot to thank racecourse at Ballybeggan, and got up as usual at seven o’clock, had Denis Moriarty for in this discharging into Fitzy’s River Obreakfast and went to organise a group of regard because he was central- in Ballinorig. men for a road improvement works scheme. ly involved in consigning this Denis’s company also under- serious flooding to history. took the river widening works here that he developed and grew He was initially involved as a from Blennerville Bridge BY GORDON REVINGTON the business. plant hire operator in 1973 through Cloghers and back to He was home again for lunch The foundation of the civil when he brought his Hymac Ballyseedy. and at three o’clock, having engineering section in 1975 into the town to undertake The river was widened in the made a few calls to arrange the instigated a period of significant works on the first serious area by Manor West Retail work schedule for the following growth for the Denis Moriarty attempt to solve the problem Park and across the Killarney Monday, he lay down and quiet- group of companies and the following an huge flood in the road so that it could accommo- ly went to meet his maker, with Tralee Flood Relief contract was town. date the increased water flow his wife of 48 years, Eileen and a particularly significant one for These works failed to address from the culvert at Ballinorig. his youngest daughter Margaret the new division. the root cause of the problem This scheme has turned out to close by. Sewage and water schemes in and, in 1990, a concerted pro- be an huge success for Tralee It was typical of this big man Kenmare, Waterville, Killarney, gramme was devised to divert no longer suffers from the who achieved so much in his Ballyheigue, Tipperary and other large volumes of flood water large-scale and lethal flooding lifetime by pursuing his own locations around Ireland were Denis at work on land reclama- out of the town centre follow- instances and seawater flood- approach, to slip away with the also undertaken. tion on the Sliabh Mish mountain ing heavy rainfall. ing no longer occurs. minimum of fuss. A major reconstruction of the attended 8am Mass every Sun- Despite growing the company pier in Dingle in 1990 was fol- day. and subcontractor staff to 130 lowed by a series of contracts to His funeral was attended by and with a strong management erect outlets for the McDonald’s thousands and many re-told acts team right up his last day, Denis restaurants in 1995 to 2000, as of kindness Denis had done for took a keen interest in the busi- Moriarty’s diversified and them and various clubs and ness and was always available to expanded its range of enterpris- organisations down through the provide his wisdom and experi- es. years to his family. ence. In recent years, the burgeoning He leaves his wife Eileen, chil- Denis was born in 1936 in alternative energy market pro- dren Sheila, Aileen, John, Denis, Ballintarman, Annascaul, and vided another direction and the Maurice, Margaret, grandchil- grew up on the family farm with company became the largest dren, sister Margaret, sons-in- his parents Jack Moriarty and windfarm contractor in the coun- law, daughters-in-law, sister-in- Margaret Hickson, his brother try and has also completed a law, nephews, nieces, relatives Jackie and sister Margaret. number of contracts abroad. and many friends. He was prede- Denis suffered a number of ceased by his brother Jackie. GREW health setbacks in later years but Denis was brought from the From an early age, he none of these prevented him Gleasure Funeral Home to the expressed a strong interest in from dealing with every chal- Church of the Purification, machinery and tractors and this lenge that had to be met on the Churchill, for Requiem Mass on interest found direction when he farm or in the business. Monday, March 5th. established the plant hire busi- He always had a great love of He was laid to rest the follow- ness, an enterprise that continues sport and closely followed the ing day at Réalt na Mara New to thrive today. fortunes of his boyhood team, Cemetery, Churchill, after mid- Denis married Eileen Griffin in Annascaul. It was with great day Mass. 1964 and moved into a new pride that the family placed an He will be missed by the busi- home at The Kerries outside Annascaul jersey, presented by ness and farming community in Tralee. the club, on his coffin. Kerry, by a large circle of It was here that the couple’s six Denis also had great faith and friends, but especially his loving children - Sheila, Aileen, John, was well known to the communi- family who will miss him dear- Denis, Maurice and Margaret - ty in the Dominican Church at ly. Pat Flaherty, Dick Mason, Michael Broderick and Denis Moriarty in Denny were brought up and it was from Holy Cross in Tralee, where he Street, Tralee, during the contruction of the Tralee Culvert in November 1974.

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