Tribute paid to Una O'Higgins O'Malley

Una O'Higgins O'Malley was "in many ways Ireland's queen of peace in the 20th century," Father Enda McDonagh said last night.

He was speaking at the removal of Mrs O'Higgins O'Malley to the Sacred Heart Church, Donnybrook, Dublin. She died last Sunday at her home in Dublin.

He recalled that her father, minister for justice Kevin O'Higgins, was assassinated in 1928 when she was "only a few weeks old" and said she had "spent much of her life in the world of forgiveness", adding: "Her ambition was that the Irish people could be a forgiving and a forgiven people."

She had become the "apostle of reconciliation" and could lecture people on why the civil war had happened by explaining why both sides felt "justified".

The chief mourners were her husband, Eoin, and their children Kevin, Eoin, Arthur, Chris, Finbarr and Iseult, their families and her sister, Maev (Sister Kevin).

A large attendance included many members of both the Labour Party and the legal profession.

The leader of the Labour Party, Pat Rabbitte, and his predecessors Ruairí Quinn and Dick Spring were present.

Mourners included former president Dr Patrick Hillery and his wife, Maeve, and former TD Ruairí Brugha and his wife, Máire.

Mr Justice Adrian Hardiman of the Supreme Court and Mr Justice Paul Carney of the High Court were in attendance, as also were former attorney general John Rogers; Labour Party deputy leader Liz McManus; Labour front-benchers Joan Burton, Eamonn Gilmore and Michael D. Higgins; former minister for justice Nora Owen; the president of the Human Rights Commission, Maurice Manning; the chairman of the Bar Council, Hugh Mohan; and the broadcaster and historian John Bowman.