Obituary: Mary Clifford, beloved County Waterford SNA, passes away

Mary Agnes Clifford (nee: Ryan) was born on August 6, 1958, in Gortaclode. 

She died peacefully on September 26, 2025, after a short illness.

She was predeacesed by her parents, Willie and Kathleen Ryan, her sister Bridget and her brothers, James and Kevin.

She will be sadly missed by her beloved husband Mossie, her devoted children Karen, Lorraine, Damien and Niall, their spouses and partner Mark, John, Priya and Domi, her adored grandchildren Rory, Aoife, Cillian, Kitty, Teddy, Esmé and Úna, her sisters and brothers Anne, Josie, Liam, Patrick and Declan, nieces, nephews, extended family, neighbours and many friends.

Mary’s husband Mossie would like to thank the Ballyduff choir and GAA club, as well as the local Gardai, for all of the support he and his family have received. 

He would also like to say a special thank you to neighbour, Miriam Daly, who was most helpful and kind during Mary’s illness.

Mary was a very important member of the Ballyduff/Kilmeaden community, as well as the larger Waterford community. 

She was a member of the Ballyduff choir, a beloved SNA at Scoil Lorcan and co-founder of Kilmeaden’s first ever pre-school, alongside Breda Leahy.

Her funeral was held in St. Nicholas’ Church, Ballyduff, Kilmeaden on Monday, September 29, where crowds of people showed up to pay their respects. The mass was said by Fr Francis.

With permission from the Clifford family, here is an extract of Mary’s daughter, Lorraine’s beautifully written eulogy: "Mum was fiercely intelligent. She believed in the transformative power of education and taught all four of us children to read and write before we started school, to give us all a head start. 

"So convinced she was of the benefits of Early Years Education, she studied at night, qualified as an early years educator and founded the first ever pre-school in Ballyduff along with another local legend, Breda Leahy.

"Many young men and women in this community had my mum as their first teacher, thus ensuring they too flourished when they started primary school. 

"In 2002, my mum saw a new opportunity when the Department of Education began hiring Special Needs Assistants for the very first time. My mum was part of an early cohort of mainly women who helped transform our education system into an inclusive model through their roles as SNAs. 

"She got a job as an SNA in Scoil Lorcáin and remained there until her retirement only a few short years ago. She loved the children she worked with, and they loved her. 

"They were so attached to her, and she so devoted to them, that they used to come to visit her at our home during the school holidays to play, to read, to draw and to have a chat. 

"She assisted each one of them to reach their potential by being a kind and steady support, and this gave her so much joy. 

“My mum was creative and entrepreneurial and she was the Queen of the side hustle. She knitted jumpers and cardigans at night and sold them in Kilmeaden Co-Op. She did bookkeeping for many businesses throughout the years. 

"She propagated plant cuttings in her greenhouse and sold them to local garden centres. She made beautiful Christmas wreaths and centre pieces and sold them from our home. She made our clothes, she made our dolls clothes, she made countless debs dresses, pairs of curtains, Venetian blinds, camogie skirts, baby cardigans and communion dresses. She hung wallpaper and painted walls. She cut and dyed hair. 

"There was nothing she couldn’t turn her hand to.

“If there was one role in particular in which my mother excelled, it was that of being a loving grandmother to her seven grandchildren. She doted on each and every one of them. 

"She gave so much time to them. She filled their lives with love, hugs, kisses, stories, songs and food.

“Mum’s sisters and brothers were her best friends. She treasured all of them. She felt their love and support, in particular, over the short weeks of her illness. 

"Her family remained by her side at all times since that awful day at the end of August. Not one minute was she ever alone. 

“Like she had done throughout her life, mum faced into the challenge of her illness with grit and resilience.

“In recent weeks, as she reflected on her life, she expressed on several occasions that she was happy with how it had turned out. She had no regrets. 

"She lived both a simple and an extraordinary life. She and Mossie had worked hard, raised a family and set us on our paths. 

"She gave us roots to keep us steady and wings so that we could fly. She meant so much to so many people. 

"We were blessed to have her as our mother and Mossie could not have had a better wife. She loved us and we loved her. I know that she will be with us every day.

“When my brothers used to head off to play hurling matches, she’d shout out the kitchen window, 'don’t get injured, and don’t get sent off!'; What great advice, not just for the hurling, but for life."

Her husband Mossie, a retired Garda, and Kerryman said: "We loved our lives in Waterford." He said Mary's favourite place in Waterford was the beach and she especially loved taking her children and grandchildren to Annestown. 

He told the Waterford News and Star that he and Mary were very proud of their four children, of whom there is: a Senator (Lorraine Clifford Lee), a CEO (Karen Dobbyn), a consultant and business partner (Damien Clifford) and last but not least, an engineer (Niall Clifford). 

With Mary's passing the whole community has faced a huge loss. One mourner wrote on RIP.ie: 'We will never forget Aunty Mary’s kindness, laughter, and love. She was a wonderful daughter, sister, wife, mother, and grandmother, and she will continue to shine through in the family she loved so dearly. Mary was and will always be proud of you all. She will be deeply missed but never forgotten.'