Paul Quinn, the 21-year-old man bludgeoned to death on a Co Monaghan farm last weekend, was laid to rest yesterday after requiem Mass at his local parish church of St Patrick's in Cullyhanna, Co Armagh.
About 1,000 mourners attended the service, bringing the tiny village to a standstill. Fr Kevin Cullen told mourners that the murder was "a barbaric crime and deeply sinful".
"To discover that he had been bludgeoned to death with iron bars . . . somehow or other the goodness of life goes out of us," he said. "All those involved in that will one day have to meet their maker too."
"One of the most uplifting things was the message from his family to have no revenge and no retaliation for his death. I couldn't commend them more for the great Christian example they have given to all of us. I know that there is great anger in the community that one so young has been so cruelly taken from us.
"That is the message of the family, the message of the cardinal and it's my message too."
Paul Quinn is survived by his mother Briege, father Steven, brother James and sister Cathy.
Before the burial, the murdered man's girlfriend Emma read out a poem that he had posted on his Bebo website a few days before his murder. It read: "in this life if you want to survive, you play by the rules, there's no place to hide. If you want to be safe you have to stand strong, or all of these people will tell you you're wrong."
Briege Quinn also read a poem dedicated to her son. She told mourners she was heartbroken. "So young to be gone, so much life to live, so much love to earn, so much love to give," she read. She told her son to "sleep peacefully" and promised they would be together again soon. Mr Quinn was buried in the cemetery at St Patrick's Church beside Brendan McCooey (18) who died two months ago while the two friends were on holiday in Greece. SDLP deputy leader Alasdair McDonnell and local SDLP Assembly member Dominic Bradley attended the funeral.