Detective Deirdre Finn who died in a fire on the River Shannon last Monday was remembered as a “guard to her fingertips” who cherished her connection to family, An Garda Siochana and Ireland’s boating community.
Det Gda Finn, affectionately known as Dee, was killed when the cruiser she was aboard caught fire in Co Leitrim over the bank holiday weekend.
She was mourned by hundreds of family members, friends and gardaí who lined the road outside St John the Evangelist Church in Ballinteer, South Dublin on Friday where her funeral mass took place.
“The river the other day was one of death,” said chief celebrant Fr Jim Caffrey. “But the river is also a symbol of life. A symbol of the new life which she enters.”
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Fellow garda detectives carried her remains toward the church, after which she was escorted in by family members.
An Garda Síochána was a central part of Ms Finn’s life, and that of her family, and they formed a strong presence at the service. Among the various ranks were Ms Finn’s chief superintendent Matt Nyland, and assistant commissioners Angela Willis of the Dublin Metropolitan Region, Michael McElgunn of the Crime and Secrurity Intelligence Service, and Cliona Richardson of the North Western Region.
Referring to the “family” that An Garda Siochána represented to her, Fr Caffrey noted the continued presence of Ms Finn’s uniform cap atop her coffin. “Deirdre was a guard to the fingertips and she loved being a guard. She loved being a member of the GRA [Garda Representative Association].”
Ms Finn, who began her training as a garda at Templemore in August 1993, was due to retire from service next year and to attend a class anniversary later this month, the funeral heard.
Several items of remembrance were brought forward by relatives on Friday including a framed family photograph, a long service medal, an ensign flag from her boat, a Leinster rugby jersey and small stuffed pigs. Their descriptions drew a mixture of tears and laughter from the congregation.
Her younger brother Cormac paid tribute to the people and boating community of Carrick-on-Shannon who responded to the tragedy and gave comfort to her family.
“Monday. Shock. Disbelief. Denial. Numbness. Devastation. Heartbreak,” he said of the August bank holiday events.
“Over the last few days you are only starting to realise the true impact Dee had on so many of us.
“She brought people together. She loved a good party and kept connections going. She was a happy person who loved a good laugh and always had a smile.”
In her pending retirement, he said, his sister had planned to spend more time on the Shannon. She had a decades-long love of boating and bought her own vessel a number of years ago.
“Our dear Dee went to sleep never to wake,” he said of the night of the fire. “She was in her happy place and in her happy place she stayed.”
