More than 300 people have attended the funeral of a woman in Carlow, after an appeal on social media by a funeral director who was concerned there would be very few people present.
Mary Regan, 89, had lived in Carlow for several years and since the passing of her husband Fred, over a year ago, the west Cork native had no next-of-kin. She also did not have many visitors to Hillview Nursing Home where she resided.
Following her death, Funeral Director Rory Healy went on social media and asked locals in Carlow to spare 90 minutes of their time to attend her funeral before she was returned home to west Cork to be buried.
“Let’s not send Mary off from Carlow alone,” he said in his online appeal.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Ray D’Arcy Show, Mr Healy said he had hoped that a dozen or 20 people might attend to say farewell to Mary.
“Thankfully and amazingly, over 300 people turned out to say goodbye to Mary,” he said.
“When I walked into the church this morning to see what people were there, I got a huge sense of humanity and community and that everyone was actually happy to be there, seeing that there was this big crowd for Mary.”
Funeral masses in Askea Church usually take place at 11am, but Mr Healy had asked the priest to move the funeral to the earlier time of 9.30am, in the hope that people who had attended morning mass would remain there for Mary’s funeral.
“Even though it was a solemn occasion at the sad passing of Mary, it was a good day for Carlow, and indeed for Mary, that she wasn’t being sent back to Cork alone.”
Mary who is predeceased by her siblings Paddy, Con, Patricia and Jerry and her partner Fred Lang, will be laid to rest tomorrow in west Cork alongside her siblings.
