Mourners told to remember Michael Gaine 'for how he lived, not how he died'
Murdered sheep farmer Michael Gaine has been remembered as a loving relative and proud Co Kerry man.
The town of Kenmare was rocked last month when, following the disappearance of Michael Gaine, human remains found on his land were confirmed to be his.
Mourners packed Holy Cross Church in the town on Saturday morning to pay their final respects to the 56-year-old and support his family.
His remains were brought into the church by his wife Janice in a wood box topped with sheep's wool.
Speaking on behalf of the family ahead of the funeral service, Mr Gaine's cousin Eoghan Clarke remembered him as a "proud Kerry man and an even prouder Kenmare man".
He said he will be missed terribly to applause from those gathered.
In his homily, parish priest George Hayes described Kenmare as a place of enchanting beauty, but said into their "peaceful, idyllic, sylvan existence" recently came something terrible.
He urged mourners to remember Michael for the way he lived his life, and not for the way he died.
"Over these weeks, since Michael went missing, we've asked so many questions - and, in life, sometimes, there are no answers," Fr Hayes told mourners.
"But in the best tradition of Irish funerals, today is a day for recovering the dignity of Michael Gaine.
"Today we recover Michael's dignity because, today, we speak Michael's name with love ... we gather to acknowledge Michael as someone who loved much and was much loved."
He urged: "Let's not give in to hatred and bitterness ... let's strive for justice and fairness.
"Winter will pass. Spring will come again. There will be better days, we will continue to honour Mike and speak Mike's name with love, and may Mike now rest in God's eternal care and God's eternal peace."
Earlier, Mr Clarke said his cousin was known for his incredible work ethic, personality and humour, and was a loving son, sibling and uncle.
He recalled his passion for rallying, farming, current affairs, holidays and music.
"As we all know, Michael was generous. Incredibly generous. He had time for everyone and would chip in to help any time and any place," he said.
"Michael seemed to always find the time to do the work of three men on his own farm, help out friends, family and neighbours, keep up to speed on current affairs and enjoy himself.
"He loved life, he always made the most of it and he truly lived every single moment. Whether you met him during lambing or while on a trip away to a car show or rally event, he always had the iconic twinkle in his eye - the 'I'm delighted to see you', 'I'm in great form', 'let's go and enjoy ourselves' glint in his eye."
He also said that Mr Gaine's wife Janice and sisters knew his soft caring side.
"Caring and affectionate. Kind and considerate. He was not afraid to show his emotions. He was also brave, fearless and strong," he said.
"We will all miss Michael terribly. I know I'll miss our phone calls the most, as well as that happy feeling that Michael gave you when you were with him.
"He was always the glue that held the Rally of the Lakes weekend together and I will always look back very fondly on our adventures to the best spectating spots in Kerry."
During the ceremony, items that symbolised Michael's life were brought to the altar.
Michael's friend DJ O'Neill brought up a photo of Mike on his quad - on his 1000-acre farm, with his faithful cavalier dog Teddy, while another friend, Vince O'Shea brought up a photo of Mike on holidays.
Family friend brought up a photo of the globe to show how Mike was extremely interested in current affairs and world events, while friend Edward Gibbons carried up a photo of Mike and Janice's wedding day.Michael's nephew Jamie O'Regan brought up a photo of Mike's family - his mother and father Jimmy and Sheila and his two sisters Noreen and Catherine, while friend Donie McCarthy brought up a CD, which symbolised Mike's love of all music..
Family friend David Dornan brought up a photo of Saint Michael the Archangel, who symbolises divine protection and strength.
Meanwhile, Michael's brother-in-law Sean O'Regan brought up a photo of Mike and his rally car and his friend Shane McCarthy brought up Mike's rally helmet, as he loved all motorsports and was very interested in cars.
As the ceremony ended, Fr Hayes said: "Before we go your separate ways let us take leave of our brother Michael. One day we shall joyfully greet Michael again when the love of Christ which conquers all things destroys even death itself."
Mr Gaine was initially reported missing having been last seen in Kenmare on March 20.
Extensive searches were carried out with assistance at one stage from the Irish Defence Forces.
On April 29, gardai announced the missing person probe had been upgraded to a homicide investigation.
Partial human remains were found on Mr Gaine's land on May 17 which were identified as belonging to the missing farmer.
A man aged in his 50s was arrested on suspicion of Mr Gaine's murder on May 19.
He was held for questioning for one day before being released without charge from Killarney garda station.
For the latest news and breaking news visit irishmirror.ie/news.
Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you.
Follow us on Twitter @IrishMirror - the official Irish Mirror Twitter account - real news in real time.
We're also on Facebook/irishmirror - your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day from the Irish Daily Mirror, Irish Sunday Mirror and irishmirror.ie.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Due-diligence firm CEO hit with €218k judgment over unpaid hospitality bills
Mark Tighe Today at 21:30 The chief executive of an Irish financial due-diligence company has had an English judgment of €218,000 registered against him in Dublin, over his alleged failure to pay for corporate hospitality at his former company. Engage Sports Management obtained a £160,754 (€191,690) judgment against Ruairi Kelleher, who is now CEO of Pinpoint AI, in the county court at central London on November 29, 2024.
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Review of bail laws will consider introducing tougher new rules for offenders
People released on bail may also be electronically tagged as part of a pilot monitoring programme being rolled out this year. The Government is understood to be concerned about not interfering with the independence of the courts and judges, who decide if bail can be granted, as well as the presumption of innocence. The review will examine the entirety of the State's bail laws before making recommendations on possible reforms. It is expected that one of the recommendations may be removing bail for certain offences, but with a high threshold to be set on what those offences are, and what the conditions around them may be. The court can refuse bail to an individual if it believes the chances are high that they will commit an offence while out on bail. Those facing trial in the Special Criminal Court also cannot get bail unless the DPP has approved it. Senior counsel Lorcan Staines, who has been tasked with carrying out the review, will report to the Government in September. The review comes in the wake of the death of Evan Fitzgerald, who fired shots in a Carlow shopping centre and then took his own life. He was on bail after having been detected trying to buy guns over the dark web. In recent weeks, Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan delivered a state apology to the family of hit-and-run victim Shane O'Farrell (23), who was killed in 2011 by a driver out on bail at the time. We need more youth diversions programmes and more gardaí to avert potential crimes, but there also needs to be a more robust application of our bail laws Data provided by the minister in response to questions from Sinn Féin justice spokesman Matt Carthy revealed there has been a 12pc rise in crimes committed by those on bail over the past two years. It also showed that 64 crimes between 2022 and 2024 involving the possession of firearms were committed by people on bail. Other statistics released to Mr Carthy over the same three-year period show 2,312 crimes involving possession of an offensive weapon were committed by those on bail. In addition, 49 sexual assaults were committed by people on bail between 2022 and 2024. The statistics also reveal that 40,348 crimes in 2024 were carried out by suspects who were out on bail. Mr Carthy called for sweeping reform of bail laws, while acknowledging that issues such as the lack of prison space and the constitutional right to the presumption of innocence should be taken into account. 'People committing crimes while out on bail is a growing problem,' he said. 'We need more youth diversions programmes and more gardaí to avert potential crimes, but there also needs to be a more robust application of our bail laws.' The Sinn Féin TD said prison is not always the answer, especially considering Irish re-offending rates. 'A huge amount of our prison population comprises people serving short sentences. There is no societal benefit to that. There are a number of issues and it's not an easy problem to solve,' he added. Meanwhile, a judge in Co Kildare said last Wednesday that he wanted to 'set the record straight' in relation to the case of Evan Fitzgerald. Gardaí have their job to do, and if we feel someone should not be granted bail because they are a danger to the public or are a flight risk, we will object District Court Judge Desmond Zaidan said it had been reported that Fitzgerald was on bail on firearms charges at the time of the shopping centre incident. Judge Zaidan criticised the reporting and said while there were 'a lot of headlines about a man on bail', they omitted certain key things. 'Once gardaí consent to bail, the court cannot go beyond that. Remember that,' he told reporters. 'This judge — and no judge in Ireland — has the power to go behind that. They would be running to the High Court if I did. Once gardaí consent to bail, it must be granted. Amen. 'Please report sensibly. Please tread carefully,' he said. 'There are some sensational headlines out there about objections to bail, but my function ceased straight away, once there was consent to bail. I have to set the record straight.' A security source pointed out that bail applications can be 'complex'. Gardaí frequently object to bail at court hearings. It is a matter for the judge in each case to determine if it should be granted, and the person's constitutional rights must be taken into account, among a number of other factors. 'It is a tricky and complex situation,' a security source said. 'Gardaí have their job to do, and if we feel someone should not be granted bail because they are a danger to the public or are a flight risk, we will object. 'The judge has various factors they must take into account and gardaí understand the criminal justice system. The elephant in the room is that there isn't adequate space in the prison system.'
Sunday World
10 hours ago
- Sunday World
Kneecap and 80s legend Paul Weller share a cuppa in Dublin
The 'modfather' was pictured with two of the three band members at Phibsborough's Bang Bang Cafe on Thursday night Kneecap took time out to enjoy a cup of tea with 80s legend Paul Weller in Dublin this week. The 'modfather' was pictured with two of the three band members at Phibsborough's Bang Bang Cafe on Thursday night. Móglaí Bap, DJ Próvaí and the band's manager Daniel Lambert were reportedly celebrating with Paul after their Irish language film nabbed the top prize at the Celtic Media Awards. Set in west Belfast, the film tells the story of how Mo Chara, DJ Provaí and Moglai Bap came together to 'change the sound of Irish music forever". The self-titled movie was awarded the Spirit of the Festival at the celebration of media throughout the Celtic nations and regions. Weller was one of 40 acts who signed an open letter opposing what they claim were efforts to censor the trio due to their political statements during performances. Kneecap and Paul Weller in Dublin News in 90 Seconds - 7th June Sharing the snap to Instagram, Bang Bang cafe received numerous messages of support for the musicians, with one writing: 'As if we don't already love Weller enough'. 'Not one bit jealous! Paul Weller is just the greatest!,' added another. Rapper Mo Chara whose real name is Liam Óg ÓhAnnaidh, was handed a terrorism charge late last month. It follows allegations that a Hezbollah flag was displayed at one of the band's concerts at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London, last November. The 27-year-old is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on June 18. In a statement posted on social media, Kneecap said: 'We deny this 'offence' and will vehemently defend ourselves.' Counter-terrorism police previously also investigated Kneecap after videos emerged allegedly showing the band calling for the deaths of MPs and shouting 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah'. The group apologised to the families of murdered MPs but said footage of the incident had been 'exploited and weaponised', and also said they have 'never supported' Hamas or Hezbollah, which are banned in the UK. In response to the charge, the group said in a social media statement: '14,000 babies are about to die of starvation in Gaza, with food sent by the world sitting on the other side of a wall, and once again the British establishment is focused on us. 'We deny this 'offence' and will vehemently defend ourselves, this is political policing, this is a carnival of distraction. 'We are not the story, genocide is, as they profit from genocide, they use an 'anti-terror law' against us for displaying a flag thrown on stage. A charge not serious enough to even warrant their crown court, instead a court that doesn't have a jury. What's the objective? 'To restrict our ability to travel. To prevent us speaking to young people across the world. To silence voices of compassion. To prosecute artists who dare speak out. 'Instead of defending innocent people, or the principles of international law they claim to uphold, the powerful in Britain have abetted slaughter and famine in Gaza, just as they did in Ireland for centuries. Then, like now, they claim justification. 'The IDF units they arm and fly spy plane missions for are the real terrorists, the whole world can see it.' The controversy has not stopped their rising popularity and they are set to play one of the biggest dates in their career to 12,500 fans at London's Wembley Arena next September 18. Kneecap were cancelled from the TRNSMT concert line-up in Glasgow, which they were due to play in July, due to safety concerns from UK police according to the festival. However, Glastonbury has confirmed band will not be cancelled from the festival and have put the group on a larger slot on the Saturday afternoon at West Holts Stage.
