Grieving Aherns gather as former lord mayor lays 'loving' son to rest
Maurice Ahern helps lift his son's coffin from the hearse before the funeral mass. Photo: Frank McGrath
Thursday November 26 2009
HE loved a sense of occasion and yesterday the family and friends of Dylan Ahern made sure his funeral was special.
Dylan, son of former Lord Mayor of Dublin Maurice Ahern and nephew of ex-Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, died suddenly in his apartment in Santry, north Dublin, at the weekend.
Hundreds of mourners packed St Sylvester's Church in Malahide, Co Dublin, yesterday to bid a final farewell to the 37-year-old who worked for Dublin City Council.
Leading the mourners were Mr Ahern, his wife Moira and their children Giles, Adam, Aimee, Murray and Clive. They were joined by Dylan's uncles, TDs Bertie and Noel Ahern, his cousins, Cecelia and Georgina, and their mother Miriam.
President Mary McAleese and Taoiseach Brian Cowen were represented by their aides-de-camp, while Olympic runner Eamonn Coghlan also attended the Mass.
Eulogy
In a moving eulogy, his father told how his outstanding memory of Dylan was his sense of occasion, whether it was a foreign dignitary visiting the Mansion House or an All-Ireland final at Croke Park.
"To see the police escort this morning, to know that Taoiseach Brian Cowen visited the house last night and prayed over the coffin, to know that President McAleese rang me ... he would have loved that sense of occasion."
Mr Ahern told how he kept many of the text messages he had received from Dylan and, hours before the funeral, he found himself re-reading one his son had sent in the wake of his local election defeat in June.
"He said 'Dad, 10 years' great service, you made me proud. It's funny that after 30 years in the council, I'm the only Ahern there now'."
An avid runner like his father, Dylan was a member of the Clonliffe Harriers athletics club and father and son would regularly jog together.
"His siblings ran this morning, but I couldn't bring myself to. I'll have a short run this evening, that much I owe Dylan," added Mr Ahern.
Murray Ahern, who gave the second reading, said: "Dylan, you looked after me as your brother for 35 years; look after me now as my guardian angel."
Meanwhile, the congregation heard that Dylan loved poetry and wrote many verses himself.
His brother Clive read one of his poems, entitled 'Spare a Thought for Love'.
In his homily, Father Michael McCullagh, a friend of the Ahern family, recalled saying goodbye to Dylan at a family wedding only a few weeks ago.
"His soft eyes lit up, his raised eyebrows, his warm smile and in his unique melodious tones, he said 'I love you Fr Michael'. I was overwhelmed.
"However, somebody told me later 'ah sure, Dylan says that to everyone'. I know everyone felt cherished by this loving and lovable man," he added. Fr McCullagh told how Dylan planned to take a leave of absence from the council soon and intended to travel to Ethiopia with him next summer to do charity work.
- Breda Heffernan
Irish Independent
