Owen Finnegan, 1915 – 2010

11 January 2010elizabeth.wolfe

by John Garvey, Current Deputy Head Mr Owen Finnegan was born in 1915 and passed away on Saturday January 9th 2010 at 95 years of age. Predeceased by his wife, Owen Finnegan worked at Brentwood for many years on the school grounds, tending not only the playing fields, but the campus lawns, shrubs, trees and flower beds. Few people can have had as much experience as Owen at nurturing our grass lawns and playing fields. A few years after he retired, when B-field had become rife with chickweed and clover, I consulted Owen and asked him if it was possible to eradicate the weeds and to get the grass flourishing again, without harrowing it. Owen replied "Of course I could do it; I could grow grass in this wheelbarrow if I wanted to!" Talking to Owen, one had the feeling that he had experiential wisdom on gardening. He had more than an encyclopaedic knowledge of plants and grasses, he had a mystical, spiritual link with the earth. Owen, his wife and family were the first residents of one of our faculty homes on the edge of the playing fields. Together, the Finnegans had seven children, most of whom continue to live locally. Born in Ireland, Mr Finnegan remained true to his Irish roots. On every St Patrick’s Day, he could be found, dressed as a green leprechaun, covered in shamrocks, playing a tin whistle and the spoons, and telling Irish stories at the local St Patrick’s Day celebrations. He always had a kind word, a story or a joke to share with everyone he met. He never lost his Irish brogue accent, nor his ‘joie de vivre.’ A cheerful, colourful person, with a truly optimistic and benevolent attitude, he will be deeply missed by those who knew him.

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