JIM ENRIGHT:FORMER GARDA chief superintendent Jim Enright, who has died aged 82, was an exemplary member of the force, a breeder of pedigree Aberdeen Angus cattle, and a strong-willed man who succeeded in overcoming a devastating personal tragedy that could have ruined his life.
The event occurred in August 1983 when, as superintendent at Macroom, he learned that his wife Esther, daughter Cliona, and mother-in-law Molly had been killed in a two-car collision on the Cork-Macroom road. Displaying immense strength of character, not alone did he survive this catastrophic blow, he redoubled his commitment to family and career and was ultimately promoted as chief superintendent in Bandon.
Born on Carrig Island on the Kerry side of the Shannon estuary, he walked the three miles to school in Ballylongford, crossing a low bridge that connected the island to the mainland and which flooded at high tide. He was a fine footballer and played on the Kerry minor team, an experience that was to nurture a lifelong love of all sports – from cricket to soccer, tennis and golf, but most of all Gaelic games.
He never missed an All Ireland, took his grandsons to matches in Killarney and had an encyclopaedic knowledge of the rising stars of the Kerry clubs. He was a keen golfer and member of Macroom and Killarney clubs.
Thanks to an inspiring teacher in Ballylongford, he left school with excellent results, as well as fluent Irish, qualities that underpinned his application to join the Air Corps where he served for a short time before transferring to An Garda Síochána in 1952. Apparently, in those days, members of the force earned more than aspiring airmen.
Besides offering fine coastal views of Clare and Kerry, Carrig Island then boasted five farming families, two of which, including Enrights, are still there. The island also has an early 19th century battery which, in anticipation of a French invasion, trained its five guns on the shipping lanes at the mouth of the Shannon.
Jim Enright’s career path in the Garda brought him first to Dublin where he served at Store Street, Dublin Castle, Kevin Street and Garda Headquarters in the Phoenix Park before being transferred to Macroom as superintendent.
In a career spanning almost 40 years, he developed a reputation as a professional, painstaking and compassionate leader of criminal investigations.
With farming in his blood, he dreamed of one day becoming a farmer, an ambition he was to fulfil on retiring in 1989.
Applying the same principles of dedication and excellence to farming, he embarked initially on sheep farming. But with his family background in dairying, he soon opted for cattle, going on to build up a prize-winning herd of pedigree Aberdeen Angus on land he had purchased two years earlier at Lissarda in west Cork. Among fellow Aberdeen Angus breeders, he established a reputation for the high quality of his stock.
Aptly enough, he named his new house “Carrig”, an unintended symbol perhaps of his own strong character.
Predeceased by his wife Esther (née Dempsey) and daughter Cliona, he is survived by daughters Brigín, Sinéad and Siofradh.
Jim Enright: born February 13th 1929; died April 15th 2011