Patrick (Buddy) Shaw, RIP: businessman with love of sport and music

A businessman, a golfer, a rugby man, a fisherman, a gardener, a singer and an actor, the late Patrick (Buddy) Shaw, RIP, was also a devoted family man.

He was known as Patrick in the family business, PW Shaw on Pearse Street, Mullingar, and Buddy to his many friends at Mullingar Rugby Club, Mullingar Golf Club, Lakeland Productions, and the other local organisations where he nurtured lifelong interests and was elected by his peers to several senior executive positions over the years.

Patrick was named after his grandfather PW Shaw, TD, who established the family business in 1895, and which Patrick joined after serving a two-year apprenticeship in the hardware trade at Brooks Thomas in Dublin in the late 1950s. That followed his early education at St Mary’s CBS National School and St Finian’s College.

While serving his time at Brooks Thomas, Buddy made the weekly journey to the capital on his trusty Vespa. The link to Dublin was to be an important one for Buddy, as that is where Rosaleen, the woman he would marry, was from; it also served to maintain his interest in rugby with Clontarf RFC.

Buddy’s time at Brooks Thomas came to an end when his father Tom contracted TB and he was called home to help in the family business. He began there with the enthusiasm and commitment he demonstrated throughout his life, and with a wise eye for an opportunity that he made the most of during the famous Fleadh Cheoil of 1963 in Mullingar.

Always sharp, Buddy spotted a business opportunity in the estimated 100,000 visitors in the town for the Fleadh Cheoil, and, he, his brother Frank and their friends Pat and Owen Murtagh and Des O’Neill, set up a stall in the archway at the PW Shaw premises to sell soup and sandwiches.

The young entrepreneurs made good money and decided to treat themselves to a holiday at Ballybunion, where Patrick Shaw of Mullingar met Rosaleen Larkin of Clanbrassil Street, Dublin. Patrick’s friend Pat Murtagh also met Gabrielle, the woman he would marry, on that trip. She was also from Dublin, and though she didn’t know Rosaleen at the time of the Ballybunion holiday, they have been friends since, and are stalwarts at Mullingar Golf Club.

Back at home in Mullingar, Patrick and Frank were running the family business, both the hardware and undertaking sides, Frank remaining actively involved to this day. Their older sister, Rosemarie, moved to England in the 1960s for work, stayed for love, and is still living there, fit and well and able for regular visits home.

In time, Patrick and Rosaleen were engaged to be married. They had set April 1966 as the date for the wedding, but had to negotiate a few setbacks before they managed to tie the knot.

The first of those befell Patrick when he broke his leg while playing for Mullingar Rugby Club against a Newcastle side on a tour to the UK. Bad enough that the leg was badly damaged, and would prevent him playing field games ever again, but when they got home, the tour bus stopped outside the hospital in Mullingar, where the lads dropped Buddy off and then went on into the town to celebrate the conclusion of their tour. Some team-mates!

Patrick’s injury meant the wedding was put back for 12 months, but there was another hiccup. A week before her wedding day, Rosaleen’s father Jim rang her to say he had good news and bad news; that the hotel they had booked for the reception had burnt down, but he had another one organised, the Spa Hotel in Lucan. The wedding went ahead, and Patrick and Rosaleen were happily married for 57 years, and raised a family of four.

Patrick and Frank managed the family business through good times and bad, and managed to keep everything going with the support of loyal, long serving staff. Over the decades the shop sold everything from farm supplies and implements to garden and household goods, furniture, and high end products such as Belleek Pottery and Waterford Crystal.

The undertaking services were initially offered upstairs at Pearse Street, and from 2010 at Bishopsgate Street, where the Shaws opened a funeral home.

Outside of work Buddy was passionate about his many interests. He served as president of Mullingar Rugby Club from 1972 to 1978 and oversaw the acquisition and development of the grounds at Cullion.

As the club prepare to celebrate their 100th anniversary this year, it is fitting to note that Buddy led the drive to built the then new clubhouse in 1977, working with John O’Hara, who was president before him, and Paddy Cooney, who followed him in that role. Buddy was there when a Mullingar President’s XV played a Wolfhounds XV who included eight ex-Irish internationals, in a challenge match to celebrate the opening of the new clubhouse.

He remained a fan of the game till his later years and his children still remember family outings to Cullion, where they were often charged with cutting up the oranges for the players at half-time. The Shaw family link to Mullingar RFC continued through Rob and remains firm today through Buddy’s grandson, Óran, who plays at U14 level.

Buddy was also an accomplished golfer, having developed his interest as a caddy in his teens, and he was proud to lower his handicap to single figures. He was captain of Mullingar Golf Club in 1984 and president in 1996/97, and he represented the club at many levels over many years. Rosaleen, not to be outdone, also served as captain and president.

Buddy was particularly fond of fishing on Lough Ennell, where the family kept boats, and he also enjoyed trips to the Ridge Pool in Ballina. His nephews, Nicky and Ben (Frank’s sons) maintain the Shaw passion for fishing.

The interest in music that flourished under Fr Frank at St Finian’s College stayed with Buddy through his life. He performed in school productions and was particularly fond of musicals and opera.

He graced the stage at the County Hall with Lakeland Productions, where he had parts in various shows including West Side Story, Jesus Christ Superstar and the Pirates of Penzance. He was a member of Mullingar Choral Society and Mullingar Charity Variety Group, and shared the interest in performing with Rosaleen, who was a regular in local revues in the 1970s and 1980s. They passed that love on to their children and grandchildren, some of whom still perform locally.

Buddy also enjoyed gardening, and in his later years spent a great deal of time pursuing that hobby. He had an ongoing battle with dandelions and moss, but eventually learned to live with them.

Patrick (Buddy) Shaw, Ardmore Road, Mullingar, died on December 9, 2024 in the company of his loving family, at the Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar. Predeceased by his parents, Tom and Eileen, Patrick is sadly missed by his wife Rosaleen, children Eleana, Louise, Julie and Robert, grandchildren Amy, Sam, Eoin, Nell, Alison, Liam, Óran and Lexi, sister Rosemarie and brother Frank, son-in-law Peter, daughter-in-law Sinéad, Eleana’s partner Brendan, sister-in-law Naomi, nephews, nieces, relatives, wide circle of friends and the staff at PW Shaw Hardware, Mullingar. Patrick was laid to rest at Walshestown Cemetery, along with his parents and grandparents.

A month’s mind Mass for Patrick will be celebrated at the Cathedral of Christ the King on Sunday next, January 19, at 12.30pm.