Eileen Cairns: An Obituary

Eileen Cairns (nee McCullagh), a retired lecturer from the North West Regional College has sadly died aged 74. She had Parkinson’s disease.

Born on June 23rd, 1946, Eileen was the youngest daughter of Brigid and Hugh McCullagh. Raised in a farming family, outside Plumbridge Co. Tyrone, Eileen would be educated in Barness, Cranagh, Omagh and Co. Derry, before a teaching career commenced in Magherafelt in the 1970s.

Whilst there, teaching success would arrive at an early stage, with a host of her pupils receiving awards from the Royal Society of Arts, London, for students competing across these islands.

Eileen would meet her husband Noel (also from a farming family on the Concess Road, Sion Mills) in the mid-1970s.

They were married in July 1977 and would go on to have three sons, Gavyn, Ryan and David.

After a move to the North West College, Eileen would teach in the campuses in Strabane and Derry for three decades.

With a career that ultimately would span 40 years, she found immense reward and fulfilment, as an educator and sometime pastoral influence to her students. Indeed after retirement from the North West Regional College, she would work on a part time basis in a school in Derry for children with special needs - a role she found richly rewarding.

Outside interests involved a love of dance; whether at a Ceili or at a wedding, any excuse to dance was gladly taken. She was interested in bridge, fashion, exercise and was a keen animal lover.

For years on end, she could be seen walking her beloved dog on the roads around Urney.

She had a keen interest in theatre and would visit the theatres of Dublin, whilst regularly attending the Millennium Forum, Derry and the Alley Theatre in Strabane.

Samaritans

She was humble, kind, compassionate and a good listener; who could be trusted.

It was little surprise therefore that after retirement, she would go on to volunteer with the Samaritans in Derry for over half a decade.

She would cherish family however, above all. She was keen to install a focus for learning and education in her children.

Whilst her boys were in primary school and during their early years of grammar school, summer holidays in Donegal had regular time set aside to refine arithmetic and English.

A devoted mother, she was proud of her children, Gavyn, barrister-at-law, Ryan who is continuing with his university studies, and David a practising solicitor.

She had not been blessed with a daughter, but would like to think on her daughter-in-law Tara and David’s partner Charlene, as daughters of her own.

She in addition took great delight in the many achievements of her nieces and nephews.

Her eldest son Gavyn was married to Tara in 2008, at Christchurch, Urney, with Fr Patsy Arkinson concelebrating the service.

They would go on to have three children and she would take immense joy from her grandchildren James, Rachel and Ella.

Whilst James was her first grandchild and her ‘special boy’, she simply loved having two granddaughters.

She is survived by her husband Noel, their sons Gavyn, Ryan and David, her grandchildren James, Rachel and Ella, as well as her sister Susan and brother Gerard.

She was predeceased by her sister Mary and brother Francis.

Her Requiem Mass at St. Theresa’s Church, Sion Mills, was celebrated by Fr Patsy Arkinson.

As a Eucharistic minister in the previous decade she possessed a strong faith.

She will be remembered as generous, compassionate, thoughtful and fair. She was however, most of all, loyal.