Celebrated musician's journey home to adopted town

The presence of the President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, and his wife, Sabina, at the funeral in Trim of Barney McKenna was profoundly moving and unexpected, Padraig McKenna, a cousin of the dead singer, said in a graveside tribute on Monday. President Higgins joined musicians and public figures and the family of the late Dubliners founder for Monday's ceremony which saw St Patrick's Church overflowing. Such was the crowd awaiting the arrival of the remains from Heffernan's Funeral Home in the town that there was little room in the church for the family members who arrived along with it, many having to stand in the aisles. Barney McKenna's last journey to St Patrick's Church was led by lone piper Peter Donnan, setting the tone for the theme of the ceremony featuring many well-known musicians. Fr Mark Mohan, CC, Trim, said the musician's passing had changed the course of the McKenna family's life. And, he said, it has changed Dublin, Ireland, and the music world at large. "It has lost one of its greatest - the last man standing, so to speak, of the original Dubliners, has been taken from us." He spoke of how Barney McKenna had used his artistic talents to bring so much joy to so many. Fr Mohan said that he had often met Barney in the church sacristy as he prepared to play at a ceremony, and that he was always very dignified. To read the full story see this week's Meath Chronicle.