Thousands of people lined the streets of Belfast today to pay tribute to “prime minister of fun” Frank Carson after his funeral service.
Some 1,200 family, friends and fans of the 85-year-old comic, famed for his one-liners, packed St Patrick’s Catholic Church for the service in the same building where he was married 62 years ago.
His wife, Ruth, daughter Majella and sons Tony and Aidan led mourners from around the world.
Requiem mass was led by retired Bishop of Derry, Bishop Edward Daly.
“Frank made millions of people smile and laugh," Dr Daly said. "He brightened up their lives. He was a prime minister of fun. That was his mission in life.”
The bishop poked fun at those who have who "almost canonised" Carson since his death in his adopted home of
Blackpool last week after a battle with stomach cancer, saying the funnyman would be mildly amused by it.
"He would be the first to admit that he was not a saint," he said. "He loved acting the rascal. He loved being brash and very loud and naughty and mischievous, at times. It was just the way he was and he was all the more loveable for it."
As his coffin was carried from a church in Belfast, his famous gag - a song called It's a Cracker that he recorded with children - was played over a public address system to crowds of well-wishers lining the streets outside and
many more watching on television.
The comic's coffin was taken on an hour-long tour of the city in which he grew up, with the recording of him in full flow producing fond mirth and applause.
A ripple of applause went through the crowd when the cortege from St Patrick's Catholic church stopped for a tribute from the Anglican dean of St Anne's Cathedral the Rev John Mann in a symbol of Carson's commitment to cross-community relations in Northern Ireland.
Carson was born into a family of Italian descent in the deprived working-class area near York Street in north Belfast known as Little Italy. The son of a binman, he worked as a plasterer and electrician before joining the British army's parachute regiment. He served three years in the Middle East in the 1950s before turning to showbusiness.
During the 1970s he starred alongside the likes of Bernard Manning and Jim Bowen in the British TV series The Comedians and was a familiar face on air during the following two decades. His catchphrases defined him: "It's a cracker" and "It's the way I tell 'em".
Television presenter Eamonn Holmes said he was at the funeral as a family friend and neighbour from the earliest years. “He is one of the most famous sons of Ulster, that sums up what he means to everybody in Northern Ireland,” he said.
Comedians Lenny Henry, Stan Boardman and snooker player Dennis Taylor were among mourners. Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, Eurovision winner and former Irish presidential candidate Dana Rosemary Scallon and boxer Barry McGuigan were also present.
“Frank was a nice man, whenever he went into the room, even before he came into the room, he was approachable, he would go over and talk to people,” Boardman said.
“He was a sort of uncle, everybody used to call him Uncle Frank. He did not offend anybody, his gags were brilliant and he was a funny man.”
Taylor remembered a flight to Bangkok with Carson and Boardman for charity work. “Sitting on a flight for 14 hours between Stan Boardman and Frank Carson, that is an experience I will never forget,” he said.
PA