By Michelle Crean 

Killarney town came to a standstill yesterday (Thursday) to pay their respects to a lady who was much-loved in the community.

Breda Walshe (née Morrissey) from Lewis Road sadly died hours after suddenly becoming ill on Mother's day. 

Breda, who was married to well known Legion man Enda Walshe, had spent a wonderful weekend with her family including celebrating her father-in-law Cathal Walshe as Grand Marshal in Friday's St Patrick's Day Parade.

Paramedics arrived to her home within eight minutes of her family finding her unconscious and after 50 minutes of treatment they managed to find a faint pulse. She was rushed to University Hospital Kerry however she sadly passed away surrounded by her family in the early hours of the morning. 

Hundreds attended O'Shea's Funeral Home on Wednesday evening and again St Mary's Cathedral yesterday for her Funeral Mass which was concelebrated by 12 priests and Bishop of Kerry Ray Browne. 

Breda, daughter of Eddie and Kathleen, had five sisters and one brother. She worked in Macs, The Laurels and Murphys before moving on to the presbytery.

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During her Funeral Mass, an emotional Fr Kieran O'Brien said that Breda loved her job cooking for the priests over the last three years and how "life will be different without her". 

"She made our house a home. Breda's death has numbed this community."

In tribute to his wife, Enda said that they spent a nice day together on Sunday watching her favourite programmes. 

"On Mother's Day we'd a lovely day." Reading a verse from a Barry White song he said Breda "You're my first, my last, my everything".

Cathal described her as a wonderful and dedicated mother to her daughters; Rebecca who is studying in UCC, and Amy who is in her Leaving Cert year.

"She was the daughter I never had," Cathal told the Killarney Advertiser.

"We got on like a house on fire. She was a brilliant person and I never ever saw her in bad form. When June [his wife] passed away she was so strong for me.”

Cathal added that Breda made him feel “like the most important person in the world”, and that he enjoyed their Friday trips to do the shopping together.

“She had a sense of humour and a sense of style and she was known all over. She loved her job in the presbytery. She was a human dynamo and treated everybody the same. I will never see anyone like her. I loved her to bits.”

Breda will be greatly missed by her husband Enda, her daughters Rebecca and Amy, her parents, father-in-law Cathal, and extended family and friends including her work colleagues.