ALMOST 300 people from Carlow attended the funeral mass of a West Cork woman after a funeral director made an online appeal asking people to attend because the deceased had no next of kin in the area.
Mary Regan (89), who was originally from Adrigole, passed away at the Hillview Nursing Home last Friday and was predeceased by her partner Fred who died last year, as well as her four siblings, Paddy, Con, Patricia, and Jerry.
Rory Healy, director of Healy Funeral Directors in Carlow told The Southern Star that he knew Mary had no relatives in the area and he didn’t want her to leave Carlow on her own.
‘I knew no one would be at her funeral mass and I thought about it for a while before I decided to put out the appeal online. I simply asked the people of Carlow to come out and pay their respects to her as she had lived in the town for many years,’ said Rory.
‘We had the funeral mass after normal daily mass on Tuesday morning and I was expecting a dozen or so people to attend. However, it it was unbelievable to see that almost 300 people attended her funeral. There was even a class there from the local Presentation Convent in Askea and the people of Carlow really showed their community spirit and passion,’ he said.
Rory knew Mary and her partner Fred very well.
‘She was a nice, refined lady and I just didn’t want her to leave Carlow on her own. Her remains were then brought down in a hearse yesterday to West Cork.’
He said she does have remaining relatives in the Adrigole area who were unable to attend her funeral mass in Carlow.
Mary’s burial took place in the cemetery adjoining St Fachtna’s Church in Adrigole on Wednesday.
