FIVE days after the town woke up to the tragedy of the Maher family, Portarlington gathered again yesterday to bury the last of the dead.
The Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, attended the funeral service in St Michael's Church. He was welcomed by Father P.J. Byrne as the representative of an Irish nation, home and abroad, whose support had helped the family and community through its darkest week.
But the presence of Mr Bruton notwithstanding, this was a GAA funeral. The coffin was draped with the No 15 shirts worn by Colm Maher for Portarlington and Laois. Members of other clubs in Laois and Offaly flanked the cortege with their jerseys around their shoulders.
Members of the current Laois side joined the five teams of pallbearers who relayed the coffin to St Michael's Cemetery. The chairman of Portarlington GAA club gave the grave side oration.
Even in the funeral homily, Father Byrne paid tribute to Colm's skill as a forward and to his playful, jovial character and his sense of devilment and mischief off the pitch.
The people of Portarlington had had a week the likes of which we never expected to see, and hope we never see again Father Byrne said. But the events would make people look at their lives, and especially at their children, afresh.
Priorities will be reassessed and there will be many questions, as there always are, when something happens that you just can't get your head around. But Colm had a gift of lifting people's hearts and that is what we must now try to help each other do."
Father Byrne reserved special tribute for the two Alo Mahers, father and youngest son, for their courage throughout the week.
Outside the church yesterday, Alo jnr and Alo snr huddled together with the other surviving sons in a few moments of prayer over the coffin before it was shouldered by the pall bearers. They were joined as chief motimers by Colm's girlfriend, Aine O'Sullivan, who was supported by friends throughout the funeral.
Among those who carried the coffin was Damian Ryan, Laois county footballer and a Marian Hill neighbour of the Mahers. His sister, Anne, a nurse and one of the first people at the fire scene, was also one of the mourners.
Hundreds of people followed the cortege to the cemetery where six of the family were buried on Wednesday. The poignantly large family plot was already covered with wreaths as it received its seventh victim.
