During December, the Navvy.ie site marks the passing of our wise father and a grandfather of eight.

The Creative Navvy

A Navvy is short for Navigator.

Being Creative is using creativity

A Navvy rose at dawn to build the early navigation systems of canals and later rail roads

Creativity is your own unique diverse ideas, art, natural expressions and more.

Our father is an original Creative Navvy. You may know him as Mick, Michael or Micheál.

He inspired me to become a Creative navvy and our work ethic amongst us siblings.

He taught us all to drive and often talked at length about geopolitical topics, other dimensions etc.

We observed him looking beneath the surface on the road less travelled

He will be sadly missed by our family and all those who he touched in the communities in Ireland and away.

~ RIP dear respected father ~

In dedication to the life and artistic expressions of our father, Michael O’Faolain

from your daughters Karen, Michelle and sons Michael, Johnny

You Showed Us, You told Us

Intro

You were raised on a west of Ireland farm

Immersed in nature, quite distant from harm

You ventured out from within this shell

To me, these life lessons you did show and tell

From nipper to seasoned navvys,

It all began from about the age of five

My brother and I, we began to dig

Great big holes that ran up to the sky

Some say child labour, nope we had too much fun

Imagine having a life size sand castle where you play

Teaching your hands how to gift their way

You showed us...

Life often has highs, life has many lows

The sun will always set not long after it has rose

Balance your efforts for serving those well

The ocean is calm between each swell.

Travel far and travel wide

Across the map and deep inside

When you're ready or feeling sore

The savage loves its native shore

A lazy person sleeps on the ground

If in the bed, some work is found

If two people have conflict and lie

Much peace is found under a shared sky

Interim

Half-way through you stopped the madness

Hit the brakes, wiped away any sadness

Whelan is the name, dealing is the game

Became healing your pain, gets you feeling again

It’s here you began to share your nuggets

You told us...

Look after your body, till the very end

You'll always have it as Your friend

Listen to each human across your world

Silently help them, take an invisible twirl

Back to roots, truths, without a PH Farm-a

Healing, Feeling, observing Karma

Find some peace in your every day

It’s yours to create, in a simple way

Emotions are messages often suppressed on trend

It makes no sense to bury your signaling best friends

Now it’s time for me to move on

It’s time for you to get your groove on

by Mack O’Faoilain (Son of Whelan)

~ RIP dear respected father ~

Timeline:

In dedication to the life and artistic expressions of our father, Micheál O’Faolain who hailed from Mohill, and returned to settle in Rooskey in his later years

Died in peace 13th December 2025

Written on 12th December 2025 by Mack O’Faoilain (Son of Whelan)

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