The passing of the late Lena Corrigan (92) has been met with sadness by many following her death on Sunday afternoon (August 18) after a short illness.
Mrs. Corrigan was highly-regarded in Enniskillen for her role as a businesswoman alongside her late husband, Eugene Corrigan.
Together at Belmore Street they ran two successful and busy shoe shops: Corrigan’s Shoe Shop, and Step 'n Style.
Outside of her working life, her legacy will include the hundreds of children and young people who participated in the Fermanagh Feis competition celebrating music, culture, and heritage during her tenure of more than 50 years as President, first joining the Feis committee in 1965.
Her family said they will remember her as “a big part of their lives” and will miss her “hugely”.
Mrs. Corrigan’s notable Feis role was one that she took great pride in, and she particularly enjoyed seeing her family’s participation in various classes.
In addition, she was a founding member of the Enniskillen and District Soroptimist Club, which brought her great enjoyment.
Born Lena McCauley on April 16, 1932 to her parents Henry and Ellen McCauley in the townland of Enaghan, Monea, she was the eldest of seven children.
She attended Mount Lourdes Grammar School, travelling from Monea to Enniskillen on a bike, and faced an infamous uphill cycle home, which she often told her grandchildren about.
She met her husband, Eugene Corrigan from Mullaghdun while the two worked in Erne Bus Service or Cassidy’s Bus Services and the pair married in 1955 in Monea.
They welcomed three children to the family: sons Maurice and Eugene, and daughter, Helen.
Mr. and Mrs. Corrigan opened for business as Corrigan’s Shoe Shop on St. Patrick’s Day, 1959 at Belmore Street.
The business later expanded to include Step 'n Style, with the shops standing side by side at Nos. 13 and 15 Belmore Street. The couple retired from the business in the early 1990s.
Speaking about her role in the business community, her granddaughter Ellen, speaking on behalf of the family, said: “She loved meeting people in the shop and getting to know them.
“They had a great sense of community on Belmore Street, with the O’Dohertys, the Hughes, the McHughs, the O’Reillys of the Celtic Hotel, and Gregory Magee.
“They made real, lifelong friends in Belmore Street. She was a great businesswoman, and they [Mr. and Mrs. Corrigan] were ahead of their time.”
The family also remembered Mrs. Corrigan as being ahead of her time in many ways, not just in business, choosing to partake in yoga classes in the 1970s, and other activities.
The family remembered her “great sense of humour”, commenting that she had “a dry wit”.
One of the most important aspects of her life was her faith. A lifelong Pioneer, she had a “great sense of faith”, her granddaughter said.
“It was a huge part of her life; she had a great community in the parish.”
Mrs. Corrigan was active in the St. Joseph’s Young Priests Society, and was a regular attendee of the 10am mass in later years, where she and a number of friends often enjoyed catching up over a cup of coffee afterwards.
Mrs. Lena Corrigan’s funeral took place yesterday, Wednesday, August 21 at St. Michael’s Church, Enniskillen.
Following the service, she was laid to rest at St. Joseph’s Cemetery, Mullaghdun.
Mrs. Corrigan was predeceased by her husband, Eugene Corrigan; her daughter, Helen Lynam; and her siblings, Harry McCauley and Rita Maguire.
She is survived by her sons Eugene (Geraldine) and Maurice (Berna); daughter-in-law Rosaleen, son-in-law Barry; her grandchildren, Sinéad (Patsy), Maeve (Eoin), Eoghan, Ellen, Thomas, Fearghal, Deirbhile and Domhnall; and great-grandchildren, Caoimhe and Michael.
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