Mary Regan’s funeral is a “moving” example of how “community matters”, Ciara Kelly has said.
Last week, the 89-year-old passed away in a nursing home in County Carlow.
The West Cork woman had outlived her partner and all her siblings and had few visitors in the final months of her life.
Yesterday, undertaker Rory Healy posted on social media asking locals to “spare 45 minutes” for her funeral mass and give her a proper “farewell from her adopted town of Carlow”.
Around 300 people of all ages showed up - the vast majority of whom had never met her.
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On Newstalk Breakfast, presenter Ciara Kelly said she thought the funeral was “very moving” and an example of how “community matters” in Ireland.
“I thought this was a beautiful thing - a simple thing,” she said.
“The funeral director said, ‘Could you take 45 minutes out of your day to say could you send somebody off, not alone?’
“I remember a moment at my own father’s funeral; we were at the graveside and I was singing.
“The reason I was singing was because my father was a singer; he sang at his own father’s funeral and I didn’t want to let him down - even though I thought I would find it very hard.
“My voice broke halfway through the song, I couldn’t get there and the crowds took over and sang it.”
'A massive comfort'
Co-presenter Shane Coleman said Irish people are fond of ‘constantly knocking ourselves’ but there are things we always excel at.
“We do death and we do funerals well in this country,” he said.
“I think in other countries, people run from those scenes… Whereas, I think, in Ireland the community rallies around.
“I think we’ve all been in that situation; it’s a huge comfort when the community does rally around and you see the GAA club doing stewarding and arranging parking.
“I think it’s a massive comfort for those bereaved.”
Today, Mary Regan’s body will be buried after a service St. Fachtna’s Church in her native Adrigole.
Main image shows a split of Mary Regan and Ciara Kelly.
