Sadness at passing of Nenagh native John Moylan in USA

Sadness greeted the news last week that one of Nenagh's most successful sons had passed away in his adopted home of San Francisco.

John Moylan, who was a month shy of his 93rd birthday, will long be remembered as a man who became one of the most distinguished community figures of the US city, though he never lost sight of his Nenagh roots, and indeed returned to his hometown every year up until recently.

Born at Rathnaleen in 1928, John left school at the age of 14. He never saw a future for himself on the family farm and so in March 1949 he emigrated, embarking on a search for work that would take him to England and Canada before eventually arriving in San Francisco in 1951.

Also devoting two years to service with the US military in Germany, John's success story began with the Ruane Plastering Company in San Francisco, with which he worked for 18 years. He went on to become President and Business Manager of the Plasters Local Union No 66, and from there became active in San Francisco politics.

COMMUNITY LIFE

The Nenagh native came to play a key role in community life in San Francisco, and he was centrally involved in a plethora of organisations, from the likes of the San Francisco Building Trades Council to the San Francisco Human Rights Commission. His crowing glory was to attain a place on the city’s Golden Gate Bridge Board of Directors for over 20 years, serving as President of the board for the 2007-2008 term, a hugely prestigious commission.

John Moylan will also be remembered for his outstanding contribution to the Irish community in San Francisco. Among numerous other ventures, he served as President of the American-Irish Alliance and helped establish a number of Irish societies. He was known and respected for assisting Irish immigrants with obtaining legal status in the US.

Among the many accolades bestowed in recognition of John's work were the Certificate of Appreciation for Outstanding Service to the Community, Irish Israeli Italian Society and a Certificate of Outstanding and Dedicated Service to the Trade Union Movement and the Irish Community, which came from the US House of Representatives. He even had a ‘John J Moylan Day’ declared in San Francisco.

CIVIC RECEPTION

A great personal honour for John came in 2009 - the 60th anniversary of his emigration - when he was accorded a Civic Reception by Nenagh Town Council. The reception was addressed by Cllr Virginia O’Dowd, who had proposed the formal honour after meeting John at the St Patrick's Day parade in San Francisco that year when she was town mayor. Also among those present was John’s nephew Cllr Tom Moylan, who spoke of the work his uncle had done for the Irish that went to the US in search of a better life. “Many Irish people over there owe their lives to him,” Cllr Moylan said.

On a visit home to Nenagh in 2018, John shared reminisces of his days at St Mary's Boys National School, of championship cross-country running, and of hurling with “old Éire Óg”, with whom he won a North Intermediate title in 1947.

He spoke of how hard it was to leave Nenagh, but that he didn't look back: “You can't look back,” John said. “When I left, I realised that this is it. When I was on my way over on the boat, I remember asking myself what was I going to do. I told myself that whatever I'd do, I was going to make a go of it.”

He met his beloved wife Phyllis (née Doyle, of Wexford) in San Francisco and there life began anew with their seven children, 18 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. But John was always known for keeping close contact with what was going on back in Nenagh, and he loved returning home to catch up with his friends, among them John Scroope, Paddy Hayes, Joey O'Meara and the Mackeys.

With every return visit, however, he noted the changes that had taken place, perhaps most poignantly the loss of so many of his great friends over the decades.

“I love this town,” John said during his 2018 visit. “The only thing that's wrong now is that all my old friends are gone.”

Now, John has gone to join them, leaving the legacy of a great ambassador for his town overseas. May he rest in peace.