Garda Willie thanked for services

KILL, 18 November: by Michael Freeman. Garda Willie Connor was recently transferred to Rathangan Garda Station district after 20 years of service to the communities of Kill and Eadestown and surrounding environs.

But he returned to his old beat to receive accolades and thanks from his old Garda colleagues and community leaders where he once served.

There wasn’t a peaked cap nor blue uniform in sight as Superintendent Tom Neville and numerous Gardai from the Naas division mingled with clergy, community leaders, business leaders and residents at the Ambassador Hotel, Kill to pay tribute to him.

He might have been just been any other resident in the crowd of more than 100 people had his familiar loud laugh and tall frame and still black shock of hair not set him apart. With him were his wife Mary and four daughters Eimear, Niamh, Aoibheann and Orla. There too were Sergeant Mick Murphy, Gda Philip Farrell,now in Castledermot, Gda Greg Fogarty of the GRA, and the two new Kill Gardai Brian Jacob, a native of Portlaoise and Gda David Webb, a native of Athy. Present also were four former Garda Sergeants of Kill. Among the attendance too was Fr. Willie Byrne, Parish Priest.

Gda. Willie Connor was regarded as one of the last of the real community type Gardai whom almost everybody knew and who knew everybody while knowing more about themselves than they knew he knew. Superintendent Tom Neville said that one of his greatest assets was his local knowledge. Unlike many of today’s Gardai, he knew the terrain, the backroads, the alleyways and the short cuts across the fields. He knew the physical features of the people because he had time for them and cared for them and he knew the physical features of the countryside. He treated everyone with respect and dignity. Unlike many of today’s Gardai, he walked the parish, said one resident. You could meet him at 2 o’clock in the morning with a flashlamp making sure the neighbourhood was safe, said another.

At the Ambassador Hotel, Superintendent Tom Neville and Garda Sergeant Mick Murphy of Kill Garda Station presented a specially commissioned Rynhart sculpture to him. Danny Molloy, representing the GAA presented a set of glassware to him. He had trained numerous football teams from Kill and Eadestown.

Willie himself had witnessed tragedy and joy and drama and success over his 20 years and in recent years he had witnessed the enormous transformation of Kill from being a quiet and quaint village to one of increased population and ever increasing traffic.

Rathangan will be a major change for him away from the challenge of the huge area covering Kill, Johnstown, Rathmore, Kilteel, Eadestown and the vagaries of the road traffic incidents along one of the most dangerous parts of the N7. But as Willie said: it will be a much quieter district and he will no longer have to travel the 80 mile trip that he traveled every day for the past 20 years.

The big bonus for him is that he is now closer to his first home at Walsh’s Island, Co. Offaly into which the Connor family including his Garda brother Mat Connor brought no less than four (4) All Ireland medals.

©2001knn