The South County Dublin church was too small to contain the enormous gathering of family, friends, neighbours and colleagues from the legal profession who came to pay their respects to Mr Justice Peter Shanley yesterday.
Over 1,000 people crowded into St Joseph's Church in Glenageary yesterday morning for the funeral Mass. The High Court judge died suddenly of a heart attack on Monday while attending a judges' conference in Portugal.
His wife, Marian, children, Peter, Caren, Leah and Anna, mother, Rosaleen, and brot hers and sisters led the mourners. The President, Mrs McAleese, was represented by Commandant Dermot O'Connor, and the Garda Siochana was represented by the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Peter Fitzgerald.
The Government was represented by the Attorney General, Mr David Byrne. The Fine Gael leader, Mr John Bruton, also attended.
Former Attorneys General Mr John Murray (now a judge of the European Court) and Mr Dermot Gleeson were also present.
Virtually the entire judiciary was there, including the Chief Justice, Mr Justice Hamilton, and the President of the High Court, Mr Justice Morris, along with several retired judges.
Mr Morris and his wife, Valerie, were with Mr Shanley in Portugal and they, along with Mr Justice Keane, accompanied his body home.
Father Aidan Lehane, who knew Mr Justice Shanley as the parent of two boys at St Michael's School, Ballsbridge, gave the homily, in which he said the judge had been "admired, respected and loved". Most of all he was a family man, he said, interested in his children's studies, sports and other interests.
Mr Justice Shanley's brother, David, was applauded after he addressed the congregation at the end of the service.
He told them that Thursday would have been the 21st wedding anniversary of Peter and Marian Shanley, and described how his brother had met his wife while lecturing in law in UCD, where she was a student in the class.
"He disliked pomp and ceremony," he said. "Shortly after he was appointed a judge of the High Court he came to greet his friends in the Four Courts, which is very crowded, and was mortified when a sense of space appeared before him."
Mr Justice Shanley was buried in Shanganagh cemetery.