CRAIG/FLAGLER PALMS FUNERAL HOME
511 Old Kings Road South
Flagler Beach, Florida


Fionnuala Jane Swords was reunited with her husband Thomas after a long and fulfilling life. Though raised in Ireland, she was actually born in Glasgow, Scotland because of “the Troubles”, which temporarily required her parents, Joseph and Hannah (Pidge Duggan) Robinson to leave Ireland for Scotland and later take 17-month old Fionnuala and her 3-year-old sister Deirdre further to safety in America, where her younger sister Brenda was born.

Returning to Ireland in the mid-1930’s, young Fionnuala proved to be a math whiz and in secondary school, she was permitted to take math classes with the boys because she finished all the courses offered for girls. She finished secondary school at 16 and quickly rose to Post Mistress at the Dublin Post Office.

In 1951, she married Thomas J. Swords and began what she jokingly called her decade of pregnancy.

In 1958, with 4 young children, Brendan, Kevin, Owen and Mairin, she and Tom immigrated to the United States and settled in Staten Island, N.Y., where they added Aidan and Kiera to the Swords Clan.

In 1963, she became a USA citizen. In 1972, she returned to work, first preparing income taxes part-time, and then progressing through the New York State system until, though she never attended college, she became the Comptroller of a state prison. She was very active in the Catholic Church. She loved singing, she led several church choirs, and she performed lead roles in musicals both in Ireland and in Staten Island.

In 1984, she and Thomas retired and enjoyed traveling for over 20 years. From 1986-2010 they called LaBelle, FL home before moving to Flagler Beach, FL.

After Tom’s death in 2014, Fionnuala moved to Princeton Village in Palm Coast where she enjoyed reading, playing word games and mostly enjoyed having someone else cook and clean.
Fionnuala was preceded in death by her husband Thomas and son Kevin.

She is survived by sons Brendan (Sherilyn), Owen (Ruth) and Aidan Swords and daughters Mairin Swords (Linda Buonocore, dec.) and Kiera Fitzgerald (David Fitzgerald, dec.), one granddaughter, seven grandsons, three great-grand daughters and four great grandsons.

A Memorial Mass will be at Santa Maria del Mar at 11:00 AM Saturday February 24th.