The market town of Ardara came to a standstill on Saturday as mourners lined the streets to pay their respects to Co Donegal businessman and community activist Stephen McCahill.
Mr McCahill (66), a publican, auctioneer and former Donegal person of the year, was found dead at his home at Beagh, Ardara, early on Monday.
The sounds of Nearer My God To Thee from fiddler Matt McGranaghan echoed across town as the funeral cortege stopped outside Mr McCahill’s Corner House Bar where the publican had made many friends over the years.
In the cortege was his wife Marietta, who also worked at the bar. The couple’s two adult children, Gemma and Steven, who live in New York but who were in Donegal for Christmas, were also present.
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Among the mourners was Mr McCahill’s daughter-in-law, Lauren, his granddaughter, Marykate, as well as his extended family and circle of friends.
Members of Ardara GAA Club flanked the hearse with Mr McCahill’s coffin draped in the club’s flag. A floral tribute with the word “Dad” was by its side.
Among those in the guard of honour were Donegal’s first All-Ireland GAA captain, Anthony Molloy, a close friend of the Mr McCahill.
Many stood outside the Church Of The Holy Family for his funeral Mass as businesses throughout the town closed as a mark of respect, some with black wreaths hanging from their doors.
Ardara parish priest Fr Aodhan Cannon said a light had gone out in the local community since Mr McCahill’s death.
“On Monday, I couldn’t help but notice that our town’s Christmas lights had been turned off. Our parish and our community had been plunged into darkness with Stephen’s violent and unjust death,” he said.
“We were left feeling a sense of shock and disbelief, anger and intense grief, as well as many unanswered questions, that someone who was so pivotal in our community had died like that.”
Fr Cannon said Mr McCahill was one of six children born on a farm in the neighbouring parish of Glenties, “doing all those things expected of someone living on the farm – saving hay, gathering potatoes and so on”.
That was cited as a vital part of forming Mr McCahill’s outlook on life, with Fr Cannon saying his “humble background helped keep his feet on the ground, and gave him a great compassion for dealing with people”.
After graduating, Mr McCahill moved to Dublin for a number of years, where, Fr Cannon said, his apartment became “a hub for the Donegal diaspora”.
“He did what he did all his life: he reached out in friendship to everyone who arrived in the capital and helped to set them up with work and accommodation,” he said.
“There is just so much you could say about Stephen McCahill, all of us have our own stories.
“But it seems to be that there are three main areas in his life: his many business interests, where he made many a few friends, his energetic involvement in this community, making it a better place to live. Stephen though, would be the first to acknowledge that things wouldn’t happen without hard-working people. But in many cases, Stephen was the motivator, the inspiration, and the vision. And then, his personal life with family and friends. The outpouring of affection and love [in recent days] speaks volumes to that part of his life.”
Fr Cannon also said: “If anyone was in trouble, either financially or in their relationships, Stephen was there to help.
“Affectionately known as ‘the major’ by the Ukrainians who arrived in Ardara, Stephen reached out to them as he did so many others.”
Among the items brought to the altar during Mass were a book on history of his Corner Bar; a picture of a boat docked in Killybegs to represent his lifelong work on behalf of the local fishing industry; a helmet in memory of Sunday morning cycle rides he would share with friend Mary Gavigan-Breslin; a claddagh symbol representing the value he placed on friendship; his Donegal Person of the Year award from 2016; an Ardara GAA jacket; and a photograph of his family.
The family picture was delivered by his daughter-in-law, Lauren, showing that “what mattered most” to him was his family, which provided his “greatest source of happiness” in life.
Outside, mourners waited in freezing weather as Mr McCahill’s remains were carried to his final resting place in the adjoining cemetery.
Mr McCahill was pre-deceased by his parents Eileen and Packie and by his brother Micheal.
A 32-year-old man, Michael Maloney, of Loughros Point, Ardara, has appeared in court accused of the murder of Mr McCahill.
