Limerick family pay tribute to ‘fantastic character’ and gifted writer

“DAD WAS extraordinary from a number of perspectives” recalls Tom Nestor’s son Loughlin.

Tom passed away a number of weeks ago at the good age of 87. He penned a long-running column in the Limerick Leader - for over 30 years.

Loved deeply by his children Loughlin, Aileen and Sinead, Tom’s great passion in life was writing. Publishing countless short stories, plays, and three novels, he was rarely seen away from a keyboard or back in the olden days, a typewriter.

Tom was born in Coolcappa in 1936, the son of a farmer. Tom’s children credit his mother, Catherine for his passion for reading and writing.

“His mother loved literature and she is one of the main reason’s dad got into reading and writing, he never really had any interest in the farm work even though he loved to write about it,” Aileen said.

Tom's wife, May is also credited as a huge reason he began his writing career.

When he was writing for the Limerick Leader, Tom had his column on the same page as Irish playwright, John B Keane. “The two became great friends,” Loughlin said.

He worked in Shannon Sales and Catering Service in 1955 and according to Loughlin was heavily influenced by Irish businessman Brendan O’Regan, developer of Shannon Airport and the inventor of the concept of Duty Free shopping.

“What got him into writing was his great aptitude for comprehension. He was quite learned, he was the first of his parish that went to St Flannan’s College in Ennis as a border,” Sinead said.

“Our house was a busy house when we were growing up, you know, very, very busy from not just some dignitaries but from friends and colleagues who were looking for advice,” Loughlin added.

According to Loughlin, Tom began writing in Blackwood magazine at the start of his writing career.

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“He had this restless energy. His job was nine to five and, after that, it was writing and short stories. It was constant energy,” Loughlin said.

Tom later became self-employed and ran a training and consultancy programme for middle managers until his retirement in 2004.

According to Aileen, her dad, no matter where he was in the world, always was a “proud Limerick man”.

“He loved hurling. I remember him saying one day, would he ever live to see Limerick win an All-Ireland. He ended up getting to see them win it five times!” Aileen said.

“He was just a fantastic character if you ever met him,” she added.

Tom's published works include three radio plays broadcast by the BBC and RTÉ, 30 short stories published in Scotland, USA and Australia, and three novels: The Keeper of Absalom's Island, The Blue Pool, and Talking to Kate. He was a prize winner in the Ian St James short story competition. He donated his works to UL in 2011.

He married his wife, May, in 1964, and they had their three children Aileen, Sinead and Loughlin. They reared the children in Ennis but lived the last 22 years in Birr, County Offaly.

Tom was a frequent contributor to Ireland’s Own right up to the end, poignantly having his last story published on the day he died, December 22, 2023 ‘The Days Before Christmas’.

He wrote as a columnist with the Limerick Leader for over three decades from 1964 to 1998 with his weekly column My Life and Times.

“He was writing up to the end, at the age of 87. Would you believe, the book he was writing when he died, he was just finishing the last chapter,” Loughlin said.