Hazy spring sunshine showed the village of Fanore and the north Clare coast at its best as relatives and friends gathered for the funeral of the writer Francis Stuart yesterday afternoon.
Mr Stuart's remains were removed from the home of his wife, Ms Finola Graham, shortly before 1 p.m. and carried to the foot of the hill where she lives before being brought by hearse to the nearby St Patrick's Church.
At the graveside Mr Stuart's granddaughter, Laragh Stuart, read one of his poems, Ireland, from his collection, We Have Kept The Faith. The Hothouse Flowers musician, Fiachra O Braonain, played jigs and reels on flute and tin whistle. Among the coffin-bearers were his widow; his son, Ion; Ulick O'Connor, the writer; and Judge Patrick McCartan, a family friend. The mourners included Cmdt Dermot O'Connor, aide-de-camp to the President, Mrs McAleese, and Capt Michael Kiernan, aide-de-camp to the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern. The chief celebrant was Father Michael O'Reilly, the parish priest of Ballyvaughan and Fanore.
Father O'Reilly said Francis Stuart had had "a wonderfully long life" and had seen almost a full century. "He was a Christian man, a man with a great love of the Psalms and also of the New Testament."
The first reading, from Psalms, was given by Ms Siabhra Durcan, daughter of the poet Paul Durcan. Later Mr Durcan paid tribute to Mr Stuart, saying he had gone on to "this stage of the journey" for which he had waited for so long.
Among the gifts at the offertory procession were a collection of Stuart's books, a bottle of wine and a loaf of bread. "The bottle of wine, the loaf of bread, the room. He gave thanks always for this," Mr Durcan said. The writer Anthony Cronin said one of the most astonishing developments in Francis Stuart's life was that he returned to writing poetry in his later years.
Ulick O'Connor said that as Francis Stuart advanced in age, he endured many stations of the cross, including criticism from detractors, while he went from nursing home to nursing home.
But he had died in a suite looking out on the sea and with wonderful, caring people around him. "He always accepted severe disorder and destruction as part of something he could convert into his work, his poetry and his imagery. He thought it was necessary in order to find the isolated, distant position of the artist."
Among the mourners was Ms Elizabeth Clissman, the widow of Helmut Clissman, who was instrumental in getting Francis Stuart to tour Germany in April 1939. Also present were the filmmakers Bob Quinn and Ted Dolan, writer Anne Haverty and artists Maeve McCarthy and Michael Kane. Geoffrey Elborn, who wrote the biography, Francis Stuart - A Life, was also present.