Ahern among Kinlen mourners

The late Mr Justice Dermot Kinlen was described last night as "Ireland's Marco Polo", by the Minister for Justice, Brian Lenihan.

"He pioneered Ireland's relations with China," he said,adding that the late judge accompanied both former taoiseach Jack Lynch and former president Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh on their visits to China. The Minister was speaking outside the Church of the Sacred Heart in Donnybrook, Dublin, after Mr Justice Kinlen's removal had taken place there.

Speaking beforehand, former minister for justice Michael McDowell described the late judge as "a good friend of mine". In his role as inspector of prisons, Mr Justice Kinlen had been critical in public of Mr McDowell.

Leading the mourners were Mr Justice Kinlen's sister, Sr Aideen, brother Kevin and his wife Deirdre, their children Louise, Philip, Sarah and David, and Mr Justice Kinlen's housekeeper, Josie.

Among the large attendance were Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, Mr Lenihan, Minister for Education Mary Hanafin, the Attorney General, Paul Gallagher, Chief Justice Mr Justice John Murray, the President of the High Court Mr Justice Richard Johnson and his wife Nuala, Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy, Department of Justice secretary general Seán Aylward, former ministers for justice Michael McDowell and Desmond O'Malley, and former chairwoman of the Irish Penal Reform Trust, Valerie Bresnihan.

Other members of the judiciary present included Justices Hugh Geoghegan, Nicholas Kearns, John Quirke, Roderick Murphy and his wife Patricia, Vivian Lavan, Frank Murphy, Paul Butler, Catherine McGuinness, Frank O'Donnell, Peter Charleton, Michael Peart, George Birmingham, Anne Watkins, John Hedigan, Kevin O'Higgins, Nial Fennelly, Mary Kotsonouris, Frederick Morris, Donal Barrington, Patsy McCarthy, Esmonde Smyth, Andreas Ó Cuív, and Frank Griffin.

Also there were former European commissioner Michael O'Kennedy, Ken Murphy and Philip Joyce of the Law Society, as well as Fr Michael Drennan SJ of Cori, Fr Austen Flannery OP, Fr Bernard Treacy OP, Fr Tony Gaughan SJ, Mgr Dan O'Connor, Archdeacon Michael Murphy, solicitor Michael Farrell and his wife Orla, Michael Mulcahy TD and TCD Reid professor of law Ivana Bacik.

Present too were members of Ireland's Chinese community.

Mr Justice Kinlen's funeral Mass will be celebrated by Archdeacon Murphy at 10 o'clock this morning.

Burial afterwards will be at Dean's Grange Cemetery.