Mullingar loses a legend: James (Jimmy) Andrews

On Monday March 16, Mullingar lost a legend, James Andrews. James passed away peacefully at his home in Austin Friar Street, surrounded by his wife and best friend Annette, and his loving children David, Louise, Seamus, Adrienne, Raymond, Antionette and Clare. He will be sadly missed by his sister Molly McGrath, his 22 grandchildren and six great grandchildren, along with the wider Andrews family. Jimmy was predeceased by his beautiful eldest daughter Lorraine and sister Rosie Holdwright.

There are few people in Mullingar who will not know of James (Jimmy) Andrews. His loss and the esteem in which he was held were aptly reflected by the huge number of people who came to pay their respects to the Andrews family over the last week.

Maybe you went to school with Jimmy, played hurling with him, maybe you had a pint in his pub in Delvin, or maybe Jimmy was the man who built your home, whether that be in the greater Leinster area, London or beyond. Jimmy may have built your place of worship, locally here at St Paul’s or your school. Maybe he gave you your first start at work and you served your time with Andrews Construction Limited, Mullingar Hardware Stores or Jaywood Joinery Limited.

You may recall Jimmy walking up the town to buy the meat for Sunday lunch; you may have shared a few pints with him in Finns, a game of pool, before he left with two pints in the bag. You may have joined him on Saturdays for those long walks, pheasant shooting, gave him a tip for a horse, fished with him along the banks of Boyne; you may have met him as he walked the canal from Coolnahay, or even witnessed him cycling up the Dublin Bridge with pipe in mouth and dogs in tow!

It is incredibly difficult to succinctly describe James’s life, as his personal and professional achievements are many. Jimmy was a humble, clever, creative, competitive man who believed in doing the job right or not at all. His tenacity and determination to succeed were driven by a desire to be better and do better.

James Andrews (The Boss), a second-generation builder, followed his grandfather, Christopher Andrews, a stone mason, and his father, Delvin contractor James Andrews, into the construction business. James was only 17 years old when he talked his father into letting him manage the business.

In the 1960s, James and his wife Annette, newly married, opened a hardware store and pub with gas pumps in Delvin, supplying his small company and local customers with construction materials. By the mid 1970s, James Andrews Constructions Limited, along with Mullingar Hardware Stores Limited, had grown and moved to Mullingar with the addition of a Jaywood Joinery Limited. The joinery became another cog in the construction wheelhouse, supplying James Andrews Construction Limited and other major construction companies with doors, windows and stairs.

In the 1980s, James Andrews Construction Limited, under The Boss’s leadership, weathered the storm of economic recession, which saw James leave home to pursue constructions opportunities in London. It is remarkable that during that difficult time, he managed to successfully keep his Irish construction business afloat.

To list the extensive number of constructions projects undertaken by James over the last 65 years does not do justice to his legacy. You only have to look around Mullingar to see how he shaped the town, providing much needed homes and employment. It is fitting that James witnessed Andrews Construction Limited breaking ground on the Ardmore Road, his legacy.

For Jimmy, family was everything and at the centre of his world was his wife, Annette. Annette was his companion, confidante and best friend. Together they raised a family of eight wonderful children. Jimmy taught his children to be humble, kind and loyal, to appreciate the simple things in life, planting seeds, growing strawberries, minding the dogs, having the craic. As the family grew and joined the Andrews fold, each of them, grandchildren included, served their time at the sink, learning how to cook and prepare Jimmy’s cabbage.

The Andrews house is always a busy one with people coming and going, noise, chat and laughter. Jimmy liked the noisy hum but also enjoyed his quiet time, whether it was fly fishing, pheasant shooting, walking the canal, tipping away in the workshop at wood turning and carpentry and creating beautiful furniture, on the bog turning turf, watching the football and hurling, having the cold dark pint of stout while watching a cowboy movie, a tiny bet on a horse or 50 cents on a game of pool.

His garden and polytunnels were his pride and joy, and Annette does not need to worry – there are potatoes and onions already sown for the summer harvest. His grandchildren will be lining up to eat his famous strawberries.

May James (Jimmy) Andrews rest in peace. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.