Harney pays tribute to her mother at funeral

Hundreds of mourners gathered at St Finian's Church in Newcastle, Co Dublin yesterday for the funeral of Sarah Harney, mother of the Minister for Health Mary Harney.

There was no standing room in the parish church as huge crowds came to pay their respects to Mrs Harney who died on Monday at the age of 84 at her son Michael's home in Newcastle.

Ms Harney spoke movingly of her mother, who was originally from Ballinamore Bridge, in Co Galway. "We don't choose our mothers but if we could have chosen, Geraldine, Richard, Laur, Michael and I, wouldn't have chosen anyone else because we couldn't have chosen a better mother."

Her mother and late father, Michael, had not been wealthy but had worked hard to provide a good eduction as well as a loving home for their children," she said.

"We grew up in a very ordinary house but we were fortunate to have extraordinary love and affection from my parents. The sacrifices they made for us were unbelievable."

Ms Harney also fondly remembered a time in the 1980s when her mother gave out to her for coming home late at night. "I said 'don't be silly I'm running the country' to which she replied 'you may be running the country but I'm running this house'."

The funeral service was con-celebrated by Bishop Eamonn Walsh and President Mary McAleese and the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern were represented. A number of Ms Harney's colleagues and former colleagues in the Dáil including Minister Séamus Brennan, Progressive Democrats founder Des O'Malley, Síle de Valera, Tom Parlon, Noel Grealish and Bobby Molloy also attended.