MORE THAN 1,000 people attended the funeral Mass of former taoiseach Garret FitzGerald, at which the chief mourners were his daughter Mary, sons John and Mark and 10 grandchildren.
The principal celebrant of the Mass was Fr Enda McDonagh, with Archbishop of Dublin Dr Diarmuid Martin, Msgr Dermot Lane, Fr Tom Layden, parish priest Fr Martin Clarke and 11 other priests.
Cardinal Seán Brady, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin Dr Michael Jackson, and Dublin Superintendent of the Methodist Church Dr John Stephens also attended. President Mary McAleese and Senator Martin McAleese joined the family at the funeral, as did the Chief Justice, Mr Justice John Murray.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny and his wife Fionnuala attended as did all Cabinet members: Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore; Minister for Finance Michael Noonan; Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton; Minister for Justice Alan Shatter; Minister for Health Dr James Reilly; Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government Phil Hogan; Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald; Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar; Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan; Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney; Minister for Public Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin; Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton; Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn and Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Pat Rabbitte.
Secretary general to the Taoiseach Dermot McCarty, secretary general of the Department of Foreign Affairs David Cooney and governor of the Central Bank Patrick Honohan also attended.
Ceann Comhairle Seán Barrett, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin, Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland Martin McGuinness and Alliance Party leader David Ford were also there.
Former president Mary Robinson and her husband Nick Robinson and five former taoisigh – Brian Cowen, Bertie Ahern, John Bruton, Albert Reynolds and Liam Cosgrave were among the mourners.
Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces Lieut Gen Seán McCann, the president’s aide-de-camp Col Mick McMahon, Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan and Assistant Commissioner Noreen O’Sullivan were also among the mourners.
Members of the judiciary present also included Supreme Court judges Ms Justice Susan Denham, Mr Justice William McKechnie, Mr Justice Adrian Hardiman, former Supreme Court justice Mr Justice Hugh Geoghegan, and President of the High Court Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns.
Other High Court judges among the mourners included Mr Justice Paul Carney, Mr Justice Michael Moriarty, Ms Justice Mary Finlay Geoghegan, Mr Justice Roderick Murphy, Mr Justice Frank Clarke, Mr Justice Brian McGovern, Mr Justice Eamon de Valera, Mr Justice Barry White, Mr Justice Gerard Hogan, Mr Justice George Birmingham and Mr Justice Paul Gilligan. Circuit Court judge Alison Lindsay and District Court judges James Paul McDonnell, Mary Collins and Catherine Murphy also attended.
Former chief justices Ronan Keane and Thomas Finlay, and former High Court judge Bryan McGovern attended, as did former attorney general John Rodgers.
Representatives of some 50 embassies and missions attended, including the dean of the diplomatic corps Papal Nuncio Giuseppe Leanza, British ambassador Julian King, German ambassador Busso von Alvensleben and French ambassador Emannuelle d’Achon. US ambassador Dan Rooney was represented by embassy political and economic chief Brian Siler.
Former tánaiste Dick Spring and former ministers Peter Barry, Barry Desmond, Nora Owen, Alan Dukes, Michael D Higgins, Michael O’Kennedy, Michael Smith, Michael McDowell, Mary Hanafin, Dermot Ahern, Noel Dempsey and Eamon Ryan also attended.
Ministers of State present included Government Chief Whip Paul Kehoe, Brian Hayes, Lucinda Creighton, Michael Ring, Dinny McGinley, Fergus O’Dowd, Shane McEntee, John Perry, Roisín Shortall and Kathleen Lynch.
Lord Mayor of Dublin councillor Gerry Breen also attended.
Fine Gael TDs at the funeral included Charlie Flanagan, Frankie Feighan, Peter Mathews, Joe McHugh, Dan Neville, Michael Creed, Simon Harris, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, James Bannon, David Stanton, Joe O’Reilly, John Paul Phelan, Dr Liam Twomey, Paschal Donohoe and Eoghan Murphy.
Other TDs in attendance included Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin of Sinn Féin, Independent Shane Ross, and Joe Costello, Alex White, and Kevin Humphreys of Labour.
Senators Paddy Burke, Jim Walsh, Deirdre Clune, David Norris, Paul Coghlan, Paul Bradford, Averil Power and Ivana Bacik also attended.
MEPs Gay Mitchell, Seán Kelly and Nessa Childers attended, as did former president of the European parliament Pat Cox, former MEP Avril Doyle, former SDLP leaders John Hume and Mark Durkan, and former SDLP minister Bríd Rodgers.
Former ministers of State Dr Martin Mansergh and Seán Haughey attended, as did former TDs Seymour Crawford, Olwyn Enright, John Browne, Bernard Allen, Alexis Fitzgerald, Mary Faherty, Pádraig MacCormack and Monica Barnes.
Former cathaoirleach of the Seanad Pat Moylan attended, as did former senators Donie Cassidy and Madeleine Taylor Quinn.
Baron Robert Armstrong, cabinet secretary to former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, was among the mourners, as was poet Séamus Heaney and Marie Heaney.
Former department of finance secretary general Dr TK Whitaker attended. Editor of The Irish Times Geraldine Kennedy, chairwoman of The Irish Times Trust Ruth Barrington and literary editor Caroline Walsh also attended, as did broadcaster Olivia O’Leary.