Obituaries 168

Irish Railway Record Society

JOURNAL 168 OBITUARY

DENIS MORRIS

Denis Morris, who died on 13 October 2008, was a significant figure in the early years of the Society, and was especially influential in the setting up and success of the Society’s Junior Branch. A full obituary appeared in the Irish Times of 19 November 2008.

Denis was born in Blackrock Co. Dublin in 1930, attended Blackrock College, read law at Trinity and was called to the Bar in 1953. Subsequently, Denis entered the office of the Parliamentary Draftsman, later moving to Hong Kong, again to work on the drafting of legislation, where he also married Maria. On retirement, Denis and his wife moved to Portugal, where Maria passed away in 2007.

Denis is recorded in Journal 2 as having become a Junior Member in 1948. Jack McCullagh recalls an early Junior Branch meeting held in the Morris home at Idrone Terrace, Blackrock, at a time when Denis was Secretary of the Junior Branch. Soon after, meetings moved to the CIÉ Cub in Earl Place, during Dave Murray’s tenure as Junior Branch Chairman. Denis was also instrumental in the Junior Branch producing its own "Journal" – in the form of a number of mimeographed issues. Later on, Denis dropped out of active participation in Society activities, but remained a member and continued to attend occasional functions and events. Brendan Pender recalls Denis being one of the “tender riders” on the Horseleap outing of 18 March 1963. Denis’s hat blew off, and he left the outing at Horseleap on the outward leg, walked back along the line to find and retrieve his hat, in which venture he was successful and was waiting, ready to be picked up, when the special reached Horseleap on its second visit!

An anecdote which illustrates Denis Morris’s thoroughness and determination, qualities that marked his contribution to the growth and success of this Society.