Mourners gather for removal of Benedict Kiely

Ben Kiely often recalled a story about the poet Patrick Kavanagh, Mgr Tom Stack told mourners at the Church of the Sacred Heart, Donnybrook, Dublin last night. It was a story which "on the surface appears disparaging and irreverent but in reality discloses its own strong, beguiling and even heartening metaphysic," he said.

Both were working at the Standardnewspaper in Dublin. They had returned from the funeral of then Catholic primate of all Ireland Cardinal Joseph McRory (who died in 1945) and were preparing his obituary. As Kiely told it, "Kavanagh coughed and rasped and, referring to the deceased cardinal, said 'now he knows what I knew years ago - there is no God!' "

Mgr Stack, discussing the use of paradox in the Bible to express truth, continued: "Whatever about Patrick Kavanagh's contorted eschatology on that occasion, in fact the teaching of Jesus Christ is replete with paradox, for example in the Beatitudes, though certainly in a different key."

He was speaking at the removal of author Kiely, during which readings were from the Book of Ecclesiastes and the Sermon on the Mount. The remains had been received by Mgr Stack; retired papal nuncio Archbishop Tom White, whose brother Seán collaborated with Kiely on the Irish Press Patrick Lagan column; and Fr Declan Gallagher.

Chief mourners were Ben Kiely's wife Frances, his daughters Ann and Emer, son John, and his sister Kathleen. Also remembered last night were his first wife Maureen and daughter Mary, both deceased.

The attendance included Mary White, wife of Seán, and son Jonathan. There too were poets Anthony Cronin, Miceál Ó Síadhail, Eilís Ní Dhuibhne, and Marie Heaney, wife of Seamus Heaney. Also there were author Colm Toibín, The Irish TimesLiterary Editor Caroline Walsh, former Irish Presseditor Tim Pat Coogan, and former High Court judge Hugh O'Flaherty.

Politicians included Labour Party deputy leader Liz McManus, former Fine Gael TD Austin Currie, and Mary O'Leary, wife of deceased Fine Gael TD and Labour Party leader Michael O'Leary. Academics included John Horgan, Maurice Harmon and Kevin B Nowlan.

Present too were newspaper columnist and critic Bruce Arnold, critic Anthony Glavin, literary agent Jonathan Williams,Séamus Dooley of the NUJ, solicitor Tony Hanahoe, and RTÉ Radio 1 Sunday Miscellanyproducer Clíodhna Ní Anluain.

Requiem Mass will be at 11.30am today, with burial in the Dublin Road Cemetery, Omagh, Co Tyrone, at 3.45 this afternoon.