'Rare voice' recalled with emotion

Tribute was paid yesterday to a "rare voice" and "someone who made a difference", at the humanist funeral service for the journalist and commentator Mary Holland.

Several hundred people joined Ms Holland's daughter Kitty, son Luke, granddaughter Rosie, former partner Mr Eamonn McCann and other relatives at the moving ceremony in the Baroque Chapel of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin.

Mrs Ellen Sides of the Humanist Association, who officiated at the service, said the ceremony was "in keeping with Mary's own philosophy of life, with her firm faith in humanity and her commitment to those human values of compassion, honesty, reason and decency, which are the links which bind us all".

Ms Holland's life and work were recalled with humour and emotion in a mix of oration, music, poetry and personal recollections.

The Nobel laureate and former SDLP leader, Mr John Hume, said she was "one of the most important voices offering consistent clarity and hope amongst the confusion and despair of recent years in Irish history.

"She had a unique skill for always focusing on the possible, for reading so well the small signs of hope and for seeing the potential for progress at times when the difficulties appeared overwhelming," Mr Hume said.

The editor of The Irish Times, Ms Geraldine Kennedy, described Ms Holland as "a great journalist for 35 of the most exciting years in modern Ireland, and it will be very hard to replicate her achievements.

"Mary was great for one simple reason. She engaged and empathised with people - big people, ordinary people, people with no voices. And, of course, politicians on both sides of the Irish Sea with all of their imperfections as a breed."

Ms Kennedy said: "She interfered with our comfort zones and challenged all of us."

The Nobel laureate and poet Seamus Heaney recalled her "beautiful voice. Throaty, cultivated, tuned to a lovely calm register. Remembering it makes you glad that you knew her and grief-stricken that she's gone."

Mr Heaney said: "No social or political history of the last 40 years in Ireland can afford to ignore her contribution."

But what made her a uniquely important figure was what no archive could ever record, "the effect she had on the consciousness of individuals".

"Because she herself was up to scratch, morally, intellectually, even humorously, she put it up to us to be the same," Dr Heaney said. The poet then recited a poem by Thomas Hardy, The Garden Seat.

Journalist Nell McCafferty recalled Ms Holland's reports in the Observer of events in the North from October 6th, 1968, onwards. In a witty and emotional address, she said that when Mary first wrote, "she made us feel noble, revolutionary". And then they were shocked to see her reports of the "Protestant people of the North". Ms McCafferty said they opened the paper every week after that "to see how they were doing and how we were doing". She said of her friend: "She was a great teacher."

Ms Holland's daughter, Kitty, described her great love and affection for her mother and said that while they often talked about world events and the North, "a lot of our conversations were about television and fashion".

Kitty spoke about her mother's illness, scleroderma, a degenerative tissue disease, and the great care given to her by the mainly Filipina nurses in St Vincent's Hospital. Ms Holland's son, Luke, recited a poem by Kahlil Gibran.

Ronnie Drew closed the ceremony with a song, The Parting Glass, and the coffin was carried outside by relatives and friends including Mr McCann, Mr Holland, Mr Julian Behal and a nephew, Mr Patrick Holland.

The Taoiseach was represented by his aide-de-camp, Comdt Michael Murray. Other mourners included the Tánaiste, Ms Harney; two former Taoisigh, Dr Garret FitzGerald and Mr Albert Reynolds; Mr Sean Donlon, a former ambassador to the US; Mr Noel Dorr, a former ambassador to the UN; Mr Dermot Gallagher, former ambassador to the US and now secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs; three founder members of the SDLP, Mr Ivan Cooper, Lord Fitt and Mr Austin Currie; former attorney general Mr John Rogers; Minister of State Mr Tom Kitt; the deputy Labour Party leader, Ms Liz McManus; the former Labour leader, Mr Ruairí Quinn; the former Fine Gael minister, Ms Nora Owen; Sen Maurice Hayes; Labour TD Ms Joan Burton; and the former ombudsman, Mr Michael Mills.

Writers Maeve Binchy, Gordon Snell, Evelyn Conlon, Jennifer Johnston, Mary Kenny, Nuala Ó Faoláin, Mary Maher and Anthony Cronin were among the mourners, as was Ms Olive Braiden, chairwoman of the Arts Council. Along with the editor The Irish Times was represented by the managing director, Ms Maeve Donovan, and a former editor, Mr Conor Brady.

Ms Holland was buried at Mount Venus cemetery in Rathfarnham.