Young army captain remembered as ‘an officer and gentleman’

“He will be forever young, an officer and a gentleman” who died doing what he loved is how 25-year Ballinameen man Gilbert Muldowney was remembered at his Funeral Mass on Saturday in St Attracta’s Church, Ballinameen.

Mr Muldowney died following a British Army training exercise in Northumbria on Sunday, January 25th while serving as a fire support team commander in the 4th Regiment Royal Artillery.

As part of the funeral service in Ballinameen where he grew up, representatives from local schools, GAA clubs and community representatives formed a guard of honour as the coffin was carried by army colleagues from the Muldowney family home to nearby St. Attracta’s Church.

Mr Muldowney had served as a fire support team commander within 129 (Dragon) Battery of the 4th Regiment Royal Artillery. After attending the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, he joined the army in January 2020 and was commissioned into the Royal Artillery regiment in December of that year.

Chief celebrant, Bishop of Elphin and Achonry Most Rev Kevin Doran, welcomed many of Mr Muldowney’s colleagues and friends from the British Army, including regimental chaplain, Reverend Captain Henry Afful, Colonel Sean Grant, Defence Attache at the British Embassy, Colonel Harry Waller, Commanding Officer in the 4th Regiment Royal Artillery, where Gilbert served, and Colonel William Tulloch, 1st Battalion Scots Guards Commander who attended the service.

Bishop Doran told mourners that everyone present had a unique connection with Gilbert. “Most obviously, his parents, Meg and David, and his sisters, Rachel and Kate, because, of course, first and foremost, Gilbert was a son and brother. Even in a close-knit family, we know one another differently, and so each person's loss is very personal. In saying this, I think of Gilbert's friends who sat beside him for years at school, never imagining that they would be part of a day like this. I'm mindful also of soldiers of Gilbert's unit who accompanied him on his most recent mission and were closest to him at the time of his death.” 

The Bishop said many stories have been told about Gilbert over cups of tea and coffee and many more will be told before the day is out. “Stories of his escapades and of his commitment. His interest in archery and brewing, to mention but a few. In chatting with David and Meg during the week, I heard the story of Gilbert's mobile phone. Tucked away in the cover of his phone, which was with him, was a tiny laminated card. On it was a short passage from the Gospel, according to Matthew. ”

Symbols of his life were brought to the altar including his walking boots, a symbol of his love of the mountains along with handmade longbows, representing his work a master craftsman of wood.

His favourite book, The Count of Monte Cristo, which he believed was the best novel ever written represented the young man who read widely and voraciously while a pair of his Christmas leggings demonstrated his “enthusiasm for dubious loungewear”.

A bottle of his homemade elderflower champagne was also presented along with his St. Christopher's medal, a symbol of his love of jewellery, his faith, and his delight in travelling.

His sister Kate recalled a brother who was a role model. She said: “He wasn't just a big brother. He was a son. He was our family.He couldn't have had parents who were more proud of him or sisters who love him more than we do.” 

She added: “He was living his dream, being out in the wild on exercises with his friends. And equally, he cherished coming home to be with his friends here to relive the good old days."

His sister Rachel also spoke of a brother who instilled friendship where ever he went and believed it was his duty to serve. "Gilbert lived his life to the fullest. Everything he did, he gave 100%. He loved Ireland, and particularly he loved Ballinameen.

“He loved the community, his friends here. If you want to know the measure of a man, you simply count his friends. He was a very popular guy. He had so many friends and people who loved him, and he loved the people he called his friends so dearly," she said.

She recalled growing up with her older brother stating: “In secondary school, he was so effortlessly clever, he nailed everything socially, educationally, and athletically. As an adult, this translated into being unbelievably good at his job, by all accounts. He was never afraid of hard work.” 

Addressing the congregation, Reverend Captain Henry Afful, military chaplain, said: “Unfortunately though Captain Philip Gilbert Muldowney’s life was very brief, it was full of peppers. Gilbert was a gentle, loving, a noble officer, and a gentleman whose character and care for others left a lasting mark on all who met and knew him.

“Take consolation from the words of Gilbert's commanding officer, that you lost a son and a brother in Gilbert. But in the Fourth Regiment of the Royal Artillery you've gained a family. And in the bigger army, you've gained a legion of friends.

“What follows, ladies and gentlemen, is a short audio of Gilbert's at Menin Gate in Belgium. where he led a part of this remembrance service. This would have meant a great deal to him, standing in a place that speaks very powerfully of duty, memory, and sacrifice. For soldiers everywhere, it tells of respect for all who gave their all. And while it is a tradition in the British Army, we remember with gratitude that many commemorated at Manning Gate were Irish-born soldiers whose ultimate sacrifice Gilbert shared in, and in his exemplary service, this has been truly demonstrated.” 

In the audio Mr Muldowney quoted a verse from For The Fallen – ‘They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn; At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them.’

*Click on the link below to watch as colleagues carry the coffin from Captain Muldowney's home in Ballinameen to nearby St. Attracta's Church.