Obituary: the late Gráinne McHugh, Mullingar
In 2012, Mullingar girl Gráinne McHugh was working as a retail sales specialist with mobile phone company Meteor when she made a brave decision.
Having watched a documentary about a Spanish-Filipino man, Francisco ‘Paco’ Larrañaga, who was convicted in the Philippines for a double murder he could never have committed, Gráinne was outraged and moved to the point of action.
Passionate about social justice, she gave up her job with Meteor and joined the campaign to free Paco from dehumanising prison conditions, and to overturn this miscarriage of justice borne of corruption and official incompetence. Putting her organisational skills to full use, Gráinne devised a number of fundraisers, the flagship of which was her 573km ‘Camino for Paco’ walk – a sponsored journey along the famous Spanish pilgrimage route, the Camino de Santiago.
Gráinne had always been passionate about causes close to her heart, whether it concerned people or the welfare of animals. She had an innate tendency to care, coupled with a strong talent for motivating people and promoting campaigns and ideas. All of those qualities made her a great person to be around.
One of the cruelties of life is that good people are sometimes dealt the unfairest of unfair hands, and Gráinne’s long illness was no exception. Before her untimely death at Mullingar Hospital on Thursday November 17 last, she had battled ill health for the best part of eight years, falling sick after arriving in Galicia, Spain where, alongside promoting Gaelic football and continuing her campaign for Paco, she was teaching English as a foreign language. Among her students were the in-laws of former Liverpool footballer, Fernando Torres.
But Gráinne never let illness break down her creative spirit, her outlook and determination to move forward in the world. Between 2017 and 2018, she completed a Bachelor of Science in Digital Technologies and Design with additional qualifications in project management, business analysis and training.
She worked in project management and business consultancy right up until her final months.
Born in Dublin in 1982, Gráinne moved to Mullingar with her family in 1987, where they lived in Beech Grove. She attended St Colman’s National School, Mullingar and then Loreto College, finishing out her secondary education at Banagher College. Between 2002 and 2006, she studied animation and graphic design at the Irish School of Animation and Letterkenny IT.
Blessed with a flair for art, technology and languages (she spoke fluent Spanish and dabbled in French and Italian), her talents shone through in many ways. During her illness, she became an avid online gamer, and under the handle ‘Lougrass’, made many friends from across the world in cyberspace, some of whom left messages of condolence online after Gráinne’s passing. Her pastimes and professional life were just some of the things that brought her succour during her illness. She had a group of adored friends, and her family and carers. She was a doting aunt to her nephews and nieces. Then, there were her dogs: Finbarr, who died some years ago, and Max, both of whom she loved dearly.
Possessed by a zest for life, Gráinne was, even up until her final months, busy organising and planning. Her beloved dad Michael – a well-known Westmeath GAA official, and ever present as a carer during her illness – accompanied her on a canal boat trip earlier last year. Naturally, Gráinne had everything for the trip planned and prepared down a tee.
Gráinne, who was just a few weeks short of her 40th birthday, is sadly missed by her father Michael, mother Daleena Conlinn (Sheila), her siblings Michael, Ailish (O’Reilly) and Ronan, their spouses Maria, Neill and Sinéad, her nephews and nieces, aunts, uncles, cousins, carers and her cherished friends.
After reposing at the Mullingar Hospital Mortuary on Friday November 18, Gráinne was removed to St Paul’s Church, Mullingar, where her funeral Mass was on Saturday November 19, followed by a ceremony at the Lakelands Crematorium, Cavan.
The McHugh family have expressed their heartfelt thanks to Gráinne’s GP, Dr Jerry O’Flynn and all the doctors, nurses and staff in the Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar and St James’s Hospital, Dublin. Donations in Gráinne’s memory, if so desired, may be forward to Cancer Research or the Irish Lung Foundation.