Family pays tribute to local horseman who loved people

William (89), late of Lettermoney Road, Whitehill, Ballinamallard, passed away peacefully on Monday, July 18 at the South West Acute Hospital following a period of ill health.

Speaking on behalf of the family, William’s daughter, Elaine, spoke fondly of her father: “He was a real character who made friends wherever he went.

“He was never very serious, and was always playing practical jokes. He was a legend.”

The late William Bradburn.

Born in Cavan, William and his family moved to Fermanagh when he was a toddler, residing firstly in Newtownbutler. William went on to live in the townland of Tullyclay, Ballinamallard and later Lisnarick.

It was while living in Lisnarick that William met the love of his life, Ivy.

Although neighbours at the time, William and Ivy’s romance blossomed after meeting up at a dance in Irvinestown in 1958.

“They got married in 1960, so they were married for 62 years,” said Elaine.

When William and Ivy were first married, they moved into Whitehill House “with no running water,” noted Elaine, adding that although the house was basic, her father worked at it to make it their home.

“Mum would come back from work and dad would have a wall tossed!

“He’d have tackled anything. It mightn’t have been finished to perfection, but it would work,” she added with a laugh.

Together, William and Ivy had two daughters, Elaine and Amanda.

As a father, Elaine described William as very reliable and helpful to her and her sister. “He was always helpful and if you were in trouble he was the first one there.

“He’d help you with everything, as long as it didn’t involve reading or writing,” she said.

Talking about William’s great sense of humour, the family recalled some of the pranks he was notorious for.

“He never really grew up,” said Elaine with a laugh: “Dad was a prankster – he used to phone people up and pretend to be other people on the phone all the time.”

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Funny anecdote

Amanda went on to recall one particularly funny anecdote: “His sister, who lived in New Zealand, she used to love her roses. She used to give off about this dog coming in and doing its business in the garden, so she used to give off to my dad that she was going to go out and squirt water at this dog and chase it.

“The next thing, she got a phone call from my dad, pretending to be from the RSPCA, that somebody was reporting her for abuse of the dog. She was up to high doh until she realised it was him!

“He was the sort that if he told a story, everybody used to have to ring my mum to ask, ‘Is that true?’,” laughed Amanda.

A jack of all trades, William worked in a variety of jobs throughout his life.

“He drove a digger, he did security, he was a postman a couple of days [in the week],” said Elaine, adding: “He used to train horses as well, for different people, and he kept a stallion for years.

“He had a caravan in Mullaghmore, him and mum. He had a very full life.”

A well-known figure in the local community, William was involved in the Lady of the Lake Festival Fair Day in Irvinestown for many years. He also could be found on most Saturday nights dancing and socialising in the Woodhill Hunting Lodge.

From a very young age, William was into horses. “That was the main thing – horses and vintage machinery.

The funeral of the late William Bradburn.

“His dad would have farmed horses, and then when [dad] moved to Whitehill, he had land, and as soon as he was there he had horses,” said Elaine, noting that over the course of his life, her father had hundreds of horses, taking them to local drives, shows and ploughing matches.

“He also shod horses for a lot of years,” she added, noting that the family still have four horses.

Given his love of horses, it was William’s final wish for his funeral cortège to feature a horse-drawn hearse.

Arranged by W. T. Morrison Funeral Directors, following William’s funeral on Wednesday, July 20 at Irvinestown Presbyterian Church, William’s remains were lead from the church to Sydare Cemetery by horse-drawn hearse.

The funeral of the late William Bradburn.

“The man who drove the horse-drawn hearse was a longtime friend of dad’s. He drove it the whole way from Irvinestown down to Sydare.

“There were people on the way, standing at different places to see it. Dad would have been so proud,” said Elaine of the number of people who came to pay their final respects.

The funeral of the late William Bradburn.

“Everybody knew him. He was very good at making friends, he’d just go and chat to people and he loved the house full.

“He had so many parties over the years at the house. That’s what he loved – a good party with plenty of people and music,” she told this newspaper.

Dearly beloved husband of Ivy, and much-loved father of Amanda (the late Ian) and Elaine, dearly loved grandfather of Ryan (Nikki) and Christopher (Laurene), and great grandfather of Ellie and Alex, William is lovingly remembered by his family and all the family circle.