The Fine Gael leader, Mr Michael Noonan, joined hundreds of mourners yesterday at the funeral of Donegal County Council chairman Mr Charlie Bennett (67), of Ardara, who died suddenly in New York at the weekend.
Mr Bennett was representing Donegal at the St Patrick's Day parade in New York when he suffered a fatal heart attack. He had just completed a march in Brooklyn with colleagues from the council. On Saturday he led the Donegal Irish in New York down 5th Avenue in the main St Patrick's Day parade.
Yesterday in the Church of the Holy Family, Ardara, Father Austin Lavery PP led the tributes and spoke of how much Mr Bennett had achieved in his career and as a community figure. The Bishop of Raphoe, Dr Philip Boyce, was among the celebrants at the Mass. Expressing the sympathy of the Fine Gael party, Mr Noonan said Mr Bennett was an outstanding man.