Helena O’Connor

Garrane North

Helena O’Connor was born Helena Cronin and hailed from Clahananoe, Ballinskelligs. She married Paddy O’Connor Gurrane in 1954 and they had four daughters, Mary, Cathy, Noreen and Sheila. She loved music, singing and dancing and always had a keen interest in historic songs from the Iveragh area. She had a great love of nature especially flowers blooming in the Summer sunshine.  She was an avid reader and was most comfortable reading in the old Irish Cló. Irish was her first language. She also had an interest in folklore. She sent material about Eoin Rua Ó Suilleabháin to her children’s teacher for the local feis, which they then recited the pieces on the day. Helena passed away at the age of eighty four in 2007.