Niall Wiseman came from a hardworking, Catholic family in Cork City. He was the third youngest in a family of seven. His dad was a West Cork man and a mechanic by trade. His mother was from West Limerick and a stay at home mum. As an adult looking back Niall had complete admiration for how his mother coped and managed such a busy household. 

From the very beginning Niall’s life was full of adventure and he was bursting with energy. He was constantly up to mischief. Yet, he had a soft, kind and generous heart.  He began helping elderly neighbours with chores after school from a young age. He also got a Saturday job, delivering coal. Times were hard growing up and the family just had enough to get by and Niall was happy to contribute his wages to help his mum manage the household.

Niall had a curious mind. He was always asking questions. While serving as an Altar boy in the local Catholic church he loved to read the Bible. This raised many questions which he asked relentlessly of his local parish priest. With the continuous stream of questions, the priest began to tire and told him he was reading so the Bible too much. He even tried to remove the Bible from him! But Niall was not deterred, with no satisfactory answers, he was determined to find out the truth for himself.

As a boy a new family moved into the neighbourhood and Niall became best friends with one of their sons. The boy’s day was a church pastor and Niall started to go along to various church events with his friend. Here he heard the gospel, the good news about Jesus. He learned that by becoming a follower of Jesus he could have his sins forgiven and assured of heaven when he died. At last he got answers to his many questions! One night, while on his own, Niall put his trust in Jesus as his saviour.

After putting his trust in Jesus if he thought this would change things instantly he quickly discovered that this was not the case. Things at home were not always easy and when he prayed that the situation would get better, seemingly things got worse. But he came to realised that the change had to start within him. Alongside this God put an overwhelming love in his heart for every member of his family, and he prayed that they too would come to faith in Jesus. 

Like many boys Niall loved football and one of the first things he ever prayed about was a football! With childlike faith he asked God to give him a football. He went outside his house the following morning and there it was! A football! He couldn’t believe it. It was such a simple thing but he was so amazed and thankful to God. It didn’t matter how it came to be there, it just proved to him that God cared enough to answer his simple request. It encouraged Niall to have amazing faith in an even more amazing God.

After leaving Secondary School, Niall travelled all over Munster and Leinster doing door to door sales. It wasn’t easy but He was very successful at this and the money was good. It was at this point, however, he believed that God was telling him to leave it all and go work in a day centre for the homeless, run by his church. He gave up his sales work and went to work in this unpaid voluntary role. Here he helped serve food, clean up and chat with the people who came through the doors. 

With his great love for people and his love of conversation he helped to set up a Christian phone service for anyone needing to talk or have someone pray with them. He also started a praise and Bible study group with some other Christian friends which was open to anyone to drop in. He also helped with the kids and youth clubs work where with his sense of humour and fun he really fitted in. 

After a year of working with the church an opportunity for employment came up in England. Once there the hours were long and the work was tough. It became a time of spiritual struggle when it was like the world offering him everything it had on a silver plate. Yet, deep in his heart, he knew it was God who protected and kept him during this time. After a few months he came back to Ireland and trained as a carpenter.

I first met Niall while attending my cousin’s wedding in Cork. Niall, of course. 'gate crashed' the wedding! He asked me to dance, from what I could gather. As it sounded like another language he was speaking, in his native ‘Corkonian’ accent! He was tall and handsome and very persuasive and I couldn’t resist his third plea! Addresses and phone numbers were exchanged when it was time to leave. We were literally driving off back to Donegal, when Niall came running, shouting at the top of his voice "Stop the car, Stop the car!" my parents rolled down the window to enquire what the matter was. When he exclaimed "I'm gonna marry your daughter some day!!" They thought he was either a complete lunatic or drunk!

A long romance followed including many long bus journeys and letters exchanged between Cork and Donegal. We were totally in love and had a very special bond. He liked to tell folk I was his ‘Donegal Catch’! We were great friends right from the very start before becoming husband and wife.

Niall ran a successful building and carpentry business in Cork for fifteen years that employed many people. While he had plenty of work there were sometimes cash flow issues. This meant that some weeks he wouldn’t have money to pay the workers but he would simply pray and sure enough the money would always come in at the last minute. His employees were witnesses to his incredible faith in action. Some would joke and say “Don’t worry lads, God always comes through for Niall by 4.30 Friday!”

Niall gave up one day in his working week, to do voluntary Christian programmes in a local secondary school. He also did prison work with another Christian friend to help prisoners transition back into society.  He able to help some by offering them work. 

His greatest passion, however, was telling others about Jesus. Niall never wasted an opportunity to share the good news of God’s love, joy and peace that he had found as a boy. 

After a few years Niall scaled back his business interests and decided to move to Donegal. Again, he sensed that God was leading, this time into full-time Christian ministry. In order to be better equipped to do this he decided to go back to College. Encouraged by his pastor in Letterkenny Baptist Church, he embarked on a three year theology degree at the Irish Baptist Bible College in Moira, County Down. This meant leaving home in Donegal at 6am each day and taking a 180 mile, four hour, round trip.

While undertaking formal study his passion to tell others about Jesus remained. He was often found on the streets of Letterkenny telling others the good news. I would notice pieces of clothing and footwear disappearing from his wardrobe, only to discover later he had given them people he met on the street who were in need. When driving to church one Sunday, Niall spotted a family moving house so he stopped to enquire if he could return on the Monday to help them. Through that simple act of kindness, the lady in the family started coming to church, trusted Jesus, got baptized and now attends our local Church.  It was one of many times when Niall’s kindly intervention created a huge impact on the lives of others.

College was a busy Three years of sacrifice and commitment for us both. During this time we welcomed two more daughters, to our brood. As well as studying and driving he always made time for us his family. Saturdays he made sure were “Family days” (as he called them) and always did something with the kids.  He was a devoted daddy and loved so much to have fun with his children. They would eagerly wait by the window, for him to return from College each day, we all did!! He would play chase and ‘hiding go seek’, roll around the floor with them, tickle and generally make them hyper before bed! But they loved it as did he. He brought a fun element to everything. His laughter would fill the house.

We always prayed together as a family and read the Bible together. Niall encouraged each child to pray for others and needs outside the family too, making them aware of the world at large. Even our two year old would pray. It used to bless his heart to gather his children all around him each night, which usually ended up with a song or two as Niall liked to sing and play guitar.

Like any couple we had our moments. I recall a time when I locked him out the back door after a heated debate, only to find him back in the kitchen two minutes later bursting with laughter saying, ‘if you’re going to lock your husband out of the house be sure to lock both doors Mrs W!’ We both exploded into a fit of the giggles. He was, hard to stay mad at him for too long. 

I was so proud when Niall graduated from College in 2017 and was formally appointed to the role of Church Outreach Worker, in Letterkenny Baptist Church. With typical enthusiasm he threw himself into the role. However, in late September, he received the crushing blow of a terminal cancer diagnosis. No-one is prepared to get a cancer diagnosis. It is an emotional, life-changing moment that was simply devastating for us as a family. Yet, Niall was so courageous and remained faithful and never blamed God. Rather, he was full of hope and was an inspiration to everyone he spoke to in the midst of his suffering— including me! Niall was rock solid in his faith in God and in God’s power to heal. 

While Niall was frustrated that he was not able to work in the way he had originally envisioned, he continued to talk about Jesus to everyone he met during his hospital appointments and treatments. Every conversation led back to the Lord with Niall, that was just the essence of the man he was. One nurse told me he was quite a character! She shared how he had five nurses gathered around his bed, at one time with them all asking probing questions about spiritual matters. She said he was a patient she would never forget. He had such a strong love for his family and his God. She said there was something extraordinary about him, which made them want to know more about this great faith he possessed. 

One consultant actually came to visit us in our home and Niall and he spoke at length about the Lord Jesus. He had the ability to engage with from all walks of life and put them at their ease. So many people who came into our home commented on a warmth and peacefulness they felt immediately upon entering. We both knew that was the Lord’s presence abiding with us. Niall marvelled that, as a result of his illness he got to share the truth about Jesus with more people than otherwise have been the case. He always found something to be grateful and thankful for even in the midst of staring death in the face.

By December it appeared he was winning his battle with cancer an as he became pain free for six weeks and the sickness had ceased. Although he was weak, his tests were all greatly improved and he expected to see a bigger change by mid January.  But sadly, and unexpectedly, he went into cardiac arrest on evening of 6th January 2018. His race was run, his work was done on this earth and the Lord chose to call him home to glory. 

Niall was the love of my life and the heartbeat in our family and now I ache from my inner most parts that he has been taken from us too young with so much to live for. Simple dreams of raising our wee family together and growing old together! I grieve this enormous loss in our family now as I grapple with all the broken parts. Grief is like that, an unimaginable tidal wave, which sweeps you up and throws you out onto an unknown beach, bruised, hurting and broken!

But as heartbroken as I am, I know how blessed I was to have had twelve years of being Niall Wiseman’s Wife, and nine years of parenting with him. He was a wonderful man, who I would describe as courageous, inspiring, loving, spiritually strong, a compassionate man with a clever sense of humour – my best friend!

Even though we are left with many unanswered questions, and a gaping hole in our hearts and lives, I know God is still in control. Niall lives on in our rich tapestry of memories and in the spirit and resilience of his children, in whom I see glimpses of him every day. Also I continue to hear many stories of how he touched  and impacted so many lives. 

Whatever your background and the journey ahead of you with all life’s up and downs and uncertainties, one thing is for certain none of us are in control of our destiny, for it is only God, who rules over all things, who is capable of such work.

I know  it would be Niall’s heart’s desire for everyone reading this, to possess that same hope he had in the Lord, whom he loved and served. Niall was ALWAYS about his Father’s business. No matter where we went he always found opportunities to share ‘Jesus’ with everyone. 

Niall’s life on earth has ended but it was his hope that others would also draw from that same source as he did and be as passionate and inspirational and infectious about continuing to use every opportunity we have, to reach the lost and make the gospel known…. to go make disciples of Jesus Christ.

It is my desire that Niall will be remembered as a man of great FAITH who was a mighty warrior and a true servant of his Saviour; that others will be encouraged by his example and that the “ Niall Wiseman Fund” set up by the Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland, will be a great resource to help share the good news about Jesus across Ireland. 

Written In loving Memory of my Wonderful Husband Niall, who rocked my world!

His loving Wife Amanda and five precious Children.