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<\/p>\nDad-of-two Andrew Tarrant died suddenly in St Vincent\u2019s Hospital earlier this week\n<\/p>\n
Heartbroken family, friends and neighbours gathered at The Church of Sts. Mary & Peter in Arklow on Friday morning to celebrate the rich life of Andrew Tarrant, a third-generation solicitor who followed in the footsteps of his grandfather Cyril and father David at Tarrant and Tarrant Solicitors, carrying on a family legal career dating back to 1894 in Sligo.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Late Wicklow solicitor Andrew Tarrant.<\/p>\n
Today’s News in 90 Seconds – September 26th <\/p>\n
In attendance at Andrew\u2019s funeral were his beloved wife Sin\u00e9ad (n\u00e9e O\u2019Shea), the apples of his eye, children Max and Emily, father David and sisters Niamh and Aileen, the latter of whom began the mass with a touching tribute to her brother, with their late mother Paula (n\u00e9e Speakman) mentioned lovingly throughout.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy uncle Peter talks about \u2018grey men\u2019 \u2014 men that you meet who are grand, but they don\u2019t leave a mark on the world. Andrew was not a grey man. He was a neon light,\u201d Aileen said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough he has left us far too soon, he leaves so many memories with us all, many of them indelible.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure everyone here felt the same when hearing the shocking news of Andrew\u2019s passing \u2013 a mix of disbelief and deep sadness. But, as it begins to sink in, the conversations with friends and family quickly turn to: \u2018Do you remember when…?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cHe created so many stories and unforgettable memories in our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
Born to David and Paula on August 8, 1976, Andrew completed his primary schooling at Oatlands College, where he developed a taste for drama, music, acting and performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cAndrew starred in a play called The Wishing Well in the Feis Ceoil, which they won, beating the well-known actor Hugh O\u2019Connor, who later played a young Christy Brown in the Jim Sheridan Oscar-winning movie My Left Foot,\u201d Aileen explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeating Hugh was an accomplishment Andrew was very proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n
After finishing his Leaving Cert at Glenstal Abbey in Limerick, Andrew studied law in Galway before starting his apprenticeship at MJ O\u2019Connor\u2019s in Wexford under the wing of his uncle Peter.<\/p>\n
Completing his Blackhall exams and qualifying as a solicitor in 2004, Andrew returned to Wicklow to start his partnership with his father David at Tarrant and Tarrant Solicitors in Arklow.<\/p>\n
Whilst back in Wicklow, he met the love of his life, Sinead, and they moved to his mother\u2019s family home in Avoca before setting up their own forever home in Pollahoney, Arklow, welcoming Max in 2014, and Emily the following year.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time I managed to get hold of Andrew on the phone, he would always tell me what Max and Emily were up to,\u201d Aileen said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMax\u2019s taekwondo achievements and Emily\u2019s singing and drama accomplishments \u2013 he was ever so proud of them both.\u201d<\/p>\n
Telling mourners how Andrew had the biggest heart and was \u201ca gem\u201d, Aileen said he was ever so generous with his time and advice.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe loved to sing very loudly and always entertained,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFun, divilment, craic. As Rhona Quigg put it so well, \u2018Andrew travelled through this life with compassion, kindness, authenticity and great wit\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do not doubt that Andrew is now drinking gin and tonics with Mum and playing Take Her Up To Monto on the air piano with a round of sambucas on route.<\/p>\n
\u201cAndrew, we are heartbroken. We love you very much, and you will be terribly missed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adding to the tribute, neighbour and dear friend Stephen told mourners how Andrew brought people together and touched many lives, as evidenced by the number of people in attendance.<\/p>\n
\u201cAndrew always thought of other people; this was typical of the family, selfless, a trait Andrew had in abundance,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of my first experiences with Andrew was when, on the way home from Dun Laoghaire Dart Station, Andrew had to make an important stop at The Graduate.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe joined a group of his friends and had a great evening. When we got home, David asked Andrew why we were so late, and he said he brought me for a pint. To which David replied: \u2018He\u2019s only 14!\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom then on, we became the closest of friends. We often felt more like brothers than friends.\u201d<\/p>\n
Recalling how growing up beside the Tarrants and going to \u201cthe big house\u201d, you wouldn\u2019t know who you\u2019d meet, \u201ccomedic legends or high court judges\u201d, Stephen said you were always welcomed with open arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cPaula would always fuss over you, making sure you had enough food and drink while quizzing you on the latest happenings,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAndrew was always the protective brother to Niamh and Aileen. The bond they shared was unique, helping each other through the hardest times, with a laugh, a story, and a shoulder to cry on. With the untimely passing of Paula, it was evident how strong that bond was.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey all shared similar traits. Empathy, compassion and kindness, even in the darkest moments.<\/p>\n
\u201cAndrew was there for me through every major life event. He was my best man when I married Emma and was there for christenings and birthdays. He was my confidante \u2013 my advisor.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was a loyal friend and kind to a fault. Someone I could ring if I needed advice or just to talk. He probably wouldn\u2019t answer the phone, but I could always ring him!\u201d<\/p>\n
Explaining how Andrew was always at the centre of any adventure, Stephen said he knew it would take a special person to catch Andrew\u2019s eye.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the moment they met, Andrew and Sinead adored each other,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was honoured when Andrew asked me to be his groomsman. To witness the two of them together was a beautiful moment. They were more than husband and wife \u2013 they were best friends.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis work ethic was unwavering, and you don\u2019t have to look hard to see where he got it from. David and Paula instilled that in him, and he proudly carried on the tradition of his father and grandfather, Cyril.<\/p>\n
\u201cMax and Emily were his whole world. You could see his eyes light up when he spoke about them. They were his sun, moon and stars. His last thought at night and first in the morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cAndrew was an amazing dad. He had a way with kids, mostly because he was a big child himself!<\/p>\n
\u201cTalking to Max and Emily over the past few days, it\u2019s easy to see what a good job Andrew and Sinead have done raising them. The strength and maturity they have shown at such a young age, making sure Sinead is okay and looking out for others, is an inspiration.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs Emily so beautifully put it: \u2018Daddy is gone to be with his mummy now\u2019.<\/p>\n
Concluding his tribute, Stephen said: \u201cAndrew was a massive character who will be dearly missed by so many people. He was the focal point in any room, with a big booming laugh that you couldn\u2019t help but laugh along to.<\/p>\n
\u201cA cousin of Andrew\u2019s sent a message of condolence the other evening, which read: \u2018Some people light up a room when they enter \u2013 Andrew was the flashing neon sign.\u201d<\/p>\n
A private cremation service for Andrew will take place on Saturday at 1.45pm in Mount Jerome Crematorium in Harold\u2019s Cross, Dublin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dad-of-two Andrew Tarrant died suddenly in St Vincent\u2019s Hospital earlier this week Heartbroken family, friends and neighbours gathered…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":88118,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[15759,15763,9,10,18,13,14,6,19,17,15762,11,12,15,16,5,15760,7,8,15761],"class_list":{"0":"post-88117","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ireland","8":"tag-namelatest-news-ticker","9":"tag-brandsindependent-ie","10":"tag-breaking-news","11":"tag-breakingnews","12":"tag-eire","13":"tag-featured-news","14":"tag-featurednews","15":"tag-headlines","16":"tag-ie","17":"tag-ireland","18":"tag-ishiddentrue","19":"tag-latest-news","20":"tag-latestnews","21":"tag-main-news","22":"tag-mainnews","23":"tag-news","24":"tag-sluglatest-news-ticker","25":"tag-top-stories","26":"tag-topstories","27":"tag-uuidec10736b-5a64-4120-bbf6-88154ac15f82"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88117"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88117\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}