'Everyone needs a Betsy in their lives' - tributes paid to Glenbrohane woman

REMEMBERED as a humble, kind and unassuming person who was always generous with her time and company, Betsy Walsh (nee Holmes) has been remembered fondly across the Glenbrohane community and further afield. 

She passed away, surrounded by her loving family, in Milford Care Centre on August 26.

She is survived by her husband Andrew and children Rufus, Martha, Oisín, Brogan, Hughbert, Jasmine and Robyn, her mother Christine, sister Mary and brother Henry, daughter-in law Stephanie, son-in-law Jaginder Sing, granddaughter Tulsi, sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, neighbours and many friends.

Betsy had requested that nobody wear dark clothes and had particularly asked for splashes of purple - and she was laid to rest in Auraclaw cemetery on Sunday last, where colour and particularly purple all brought more vibrancy to the day. 

People who knew Betsy described her as the “heart of the community” and even on the day she was laid to rest, her husband Andrew was behind the bar in Fogarty’s, which he had run with Betsy.  

Many of the surrounding areas around Glenbrohane learned of Betsy’s failing health via a GoFundMe appeal organised by the Glenbrohane Knocklong community shortly before she died. 

The generosity and support from the community can be clearly seen in less than 1,000 donations, which raised more than two thirds of the €90,000 target. The community which Betsy gave so much to, gave it back in spades when they were called upon. 

Betsy’s husband’s family owned a shop and bakery in Knocklong for many years and he met Betsy, who was originally from Winchester, in Glenroe. 

They got married 29 years ago, raised seven children together and lived in Glenbrohane for the past 17 years, having lived in Knocklong before that. 

Many will remember Betsy fondly as riding her horse Tyler around the village and the horses went before the hearse with flowers. 

Over the years, she minded many children for families in the area and she was very involved in the development of the Local Hub in Glenbrohane, and helped to build the community garden that is enjoyed by so many. She was very green fingered and her phrases and sayings adorn the stones and timber settings in the sensory garden of the Local Hub and it’s also where her daughter Martha sometimes brings her yoga classes outside to. 

She also promoted the space as a hub of art and crafts for children and led many artistic classes and activities there and for many years prior to its development. 

Betsy used to paint the sets for the musicals in Scoil Pól, while there are family homes with her murals on their walls, as well as around the village. 

At Christmas time, herself and Andrew played pivotal roles in bringing the most loved couple in the North Pole to life for the children and families in the area. 

Betsy was involved in the primary school’s parent’s association until her youngest child, who is now 17, finished school. 

At community events, Betsy was always on hand for face painting, dressing up as a character or being a witch and making potions at Halloween. 

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Betsy was pivotal in setting up a local writing group and as her family said their final farewells, each of her children read one of her poems or pieces of her writing. 

In 2007, Betsy and Andrew purchased their dream family home in Glenbrohane and less than two months before her death, the family were told that Betsy was terminally ill and the GoFundMe appeal was launched so that the family could focus on spending time and saying goodbye to Betsy rather than worrying about any financial burdens from the mortgage and interest rates on the family home. 

Betsy’s last words to her family before she took her final breaths were ‘be kind to one another’ and it’s a way that everyone can keep Betsy’s legacy and kindness alive. 

Betsy’s final resting place is in the corner of the graveyard under a tree - something very fitting to her character - may she Rest in Peace.