THERE WERE emotional scenes in the Limerick village of Bruff on Saturday afternoon as hundreds of mourners attended the funeral Mass of mother of three, Fiona Ring, who drowned at the coastal resort of Lahinch last week.
The 39-year-old was holidaying in Clare with her husband and children. She drowned a short time after getting into difficulty but her husband and only son managed to get to safety.
Taoiseach Brian Cowen was represented at Saturday’s funeral by Cmdt Pat Murnane of the 12th Battalion and hundreds of mourners filled St Peter and Paul’s Church as well as the adjoining car park.
Members of the emergency services, including those who helped pull her body from the sea, also attended Saturday’s funeral Mass.
Among the gifts which were offered during the ceremony were Ms Ring’s mobile phone, which represented her many friends, and her make-up bag, which the congregation was told portrayed her purity and beauty. Other gifts included a Clare flag and her iPod.
In his homily, Cannon Jim Costelloe said Ms Ring, who worked at the local post office, was loved by everyone in the locality and he said many people had told him their memories of her.
“Fiona did not die in vain and her sudden departure from this troubled world to be with her mother in heaven will, and indeed is, bringing the grace of God into our community, that is why you are all here this morning,” he told mourners.
Ms Ring is survived by her husband, Diarmuid and her children Caoimhe, Niamh and Odhran.