Mairin Lynch, dignified and serene but perhaps a little numbed by it all, sat throughout a long Requiem Mass at the North Cathedral in Cork on Saturday as people from all strata of society from the highest to the most humble gathered to share her grief at the passing of her beloved husband, Jack, the former Taoiseach. The people of Cork left her in no doubt that he was beloved of them as well.
The Sean O Riada sung Requiem Mass proved a fitting manner in which to celebrate the passing of a politician and sportsman who loved the Irish language. For while it was a requiem, it was also a celebration of a life well lived. One of Cork's great cathedrals was thronged inside while hundreds gathered outside the portals.
When it left the cathedral, the cortege brought Mr Lynch's remains through his native Blackpool and then the city centre before heading west to St Finbarr's Cemetery, where his long-standing friend and former Fianna Fail colleague, Mr Des O'Malley, delivered the graveside oration.
In his homily, the Bishop of Cork and Ross, Dr John Buckley, said many tributes had been paid to Jack Lynch. "History will record and assess his contribution to the national life of this country. Today, we reflect on the private person behind the public persona, the Jack Lynch that we all knew and loved. I have known Jack and Mairin for many years. His brother, Father Charlie, was a priest in our parish when I was growing up in Inchigeela in west Cork. Jack was a frequent visitor to the village.
"Even as young people, we all admired Jack, his great human qualities, his unfailing courtesy, his friendliness, his respect for everyone and his personal charm, which appealed to all of us," Bishop Buckley said. He recalled that when Jack Lynch paid tribute to his great hurling colleague, another Cork legend, Christy Ring, at his graveside some years ago, he said: "As long as young people swing their caman for the sheer thrill of the tingle in their fingers of the impact of ash on leather, the story of Christy Ring will be told, and that will be for ever." Bishop Buckley said those words could be just as appropriately applied to Jack Lynch because as long as hurling and football were played, his story would be told for ever, too.
"Jack was above all a man of peace. Peace, he often said, was not made at the conference table but in the hearts of the people. No person worked harder to promote peace in our country. It is our prayer today that this peace which Jack longed for will soon become a reality . . . "He was very much aware of the purpose of life. His faith never shone more brightly than during his illness, which he carried with such great patience and love, never complaining, deeply appreciative of the kindness of nurses and staff."
During the offertory, Mr Lynch's life was remembered in a number of moving ways. Scales of justice were brought to the altar by his brother, Finbarr; hurling and football jerseys were also brought as offerings by Mr Liam O Tuama, the chairman of Jack Lynch's former hurling club, Glen Rovers. Schoolchildren from Blackpool brought a caged pair of doves, symbolising the former Taoiseach's desire for peace throughout the island of Ireland. It was because of his love of peace that Mairin Lynch asked that along the route of the cortege and at the graveside itself the military contribution be kept to the very basic required to salute a former Taoiseach on a State occasion. There was no 21-gun salute, which would be normal on such occasions.
At the conclusion of the Requiem Mass, Mrs Lynch moved to the rear of the cathedral where a seat had been provided for her. Sitting there, she shook hands with most of the congregation as they left and appeared to be overwhelmed at the outpouring of emotion and love for her late husband. The cortege then left the cathedral and travelled through Blackpool with a military procession. It moved at a snail's pace through the small streets of the area as the coffin was carried by the soldiers of the 3rd Garrison Military Police Company.
The Slow March left thousands of onlookers in silence as the Band of the Southern Brigade played The Banks of My Own Lovely Lee, one of Jack Lynch's favourite songs. And that was the signal for the onlookers to applaud. But not before they had boohed another former Taoiseach, Mr Charles Haughey, as his Mercedes passed by in the cortege.
AT the graveside, on a day which always had threatened rain, the huge gathering of mourners had to use umbrellas during a deluge as Mr O'Malley delivered his oration. Predictably, he spoke of Jack Lynch's contribution to politics and of his role in averting what might have become another Irish civil war during the early 1970s. The President, Mrs McAleese, was at the graveside, as were two former Taoisigh, Mr Albert Reynolds and Mr John Bruton.
The Tanaiste and leader of the Progressive Democrats, Ms Mary Harney, was also present, as was the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr David Andrews; the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr John O'Donoghue; the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms Mary O'Rourke; the Minister for Defence, Mr Michael Smith TD; the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, Mr Dermot Ahern; the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Mr Joe Walsh; the Minister for Environment and Local Government, Mr Noel Dempsey; the Minister for Health and Children, Mr Brian Cowen; the Minister for Finance, Mr Charlie McCreevy; the Minister for Education, Mr Micheal Martin; the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Ms Sile de Valera; the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, Dr Jim McDaid; and the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Mr Michael Woods.
The Cabinet members were led by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern. The Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, the Right Rev Paul Colton, was also present.
The chief mourners were Mrs Lynch and Mr Lynch's brother, Finbarr, as well as his sisters, Eva and Rena. The Lord Mayor of Cork, Mr Damian Wallace, led members of the local authority at the obsequies.
Special prayers for Jack Lynch marking the occasion of his State funeral have been posted on the Archdiocese of Dublin Website at http://www.dublindiocese.ie