A well-known horse and carriage driver Joe Gilligan - better known as Jarvey Joe- died in a New York subway accident last weekend.
Gilligan, from Co. Limerick and living in Queens, New York, has been working as a horse and carriage driver in the city for many years.
Gilligan gave up a good job in accounting to pursue his passion - he loved animals and entertaining people.
Gilligan often went back to Ireland to visit family and is said to have been a strong supporter of Munster rugby.
"For many people from Limerick, Joe was the first person they would go to in New York. Every second person would go to him. They would go straight to Central Park and Joe would show them around the city," a friend of Gilligan, John Duggan told the Limerick Leader this week.
"Loads of Limerick people went to him and he would show them around, and he wouldn't charge half them, that's the kind he was," said Duggan.
"He was a very good rugby player and was very quick and won college medals in athletics. He came home last February and loved to go to the Munster matches. He would have been in New York 25 years since last month and was extremely well known," added Duggan.
Arrangements were being made this weekend to send Gilligan’s body home to Ireland for burial.
Details of the accident are not known.
5 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.charsteve | Oct 17, 2010, 06:16 PM EDT
Joe was one of the most wonderful men I ever met. Everytime I met him, he brought a smile to my face. Central Park and the world will never be the same without him. RIP, Joe. You were so loved and will be painfully missed.
galway2001 | Oct 17, 2010, 04:28 PM EDT
YOU DIDINT EXPLAIN HOW HE DIED ON THE SUBWAY
Searlit | Oct 17, 2010, 04:26 PM EDT
Joe Gilligan sounded liked a wonderful person. Last time I was in central Park was before Mr. Gilligan had arrived, I guess. I'm sure New York will miss him.
pflynn70 | Oct 17, 2010, 12:26 PM EDT
Reading the nice comments from the below column, it's always nice to hear about people who leave behind alegacy of doing nice things for his fellow man.I've never met Mr. Gilligan but I'm sure I have seen him on my many trips to New York & Central Park. I'm sure he's in a better place, and what better way to go than to leave with your plate full of having done nice things for people.
geemiss | Oct 16, 2010, 03:48 PM EDT
Just came back from the funeral for our friend Joe Gilligan....I have been to alot of funerals in my life, but I have never seen such an enormous turn out of people. There were hundreds, nearly all of them friends and acquaintances, since Joe's family lived in Ireland. The line to pay respects at the funeral home last night went out the front door and down the block. Today at the mass, dozens and dozens of men and women sobbed openly. What a great legacy to have been loved so much by so many.