Hundreds turn out to pay tribute to gun murder gran Mary

By Sam Griffin

GRANDMOTHER Mary Dargan, who was shot dead in front of her family, was laid to rest this morning.

Hundreds of mourners turned out to pay their respects at the funeral of the 66-year-old who was killed at her Tallaght home.

The dedicated family woman's remains were removed from her house this morning and arrived at the Sacred Heart Church, Killinarden, for funeral Mass at 11am.

She was buried afterwards in Palmerstown Cemetery.

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Her brave son Gary, who tackled the shooter when he burst into their home, led mourners at the service this morning.

Parish priest Fr Manus Ferry said that the close-knit community are still reeling over the death of Ms Dargan, who he described as a "lovely person".

"I would have known Mary, and she was absolutely a lovely person," he told the Herald.

"(Mary) and her family have been established here a long time."

Fr Ferry said Ms Dargan was "a family person" and that she had dedicated her life to her duties as a mother and grandmother. He said he is expecting hundreds of mourners to pack into the church today to pay their last respects.

"I was shocked, and the whole community was very shocked by the tragedy. We are still shocked and numbed by it all," he said.

Ms Dargan died after she encountered a man entering the back of her house in the Killinarden Estate at around 4pm on March 15.

Several of her grandchildren were present in the house at the time, and her daughter Karina (34) was treated in Tallaght Hospital for injuries sustained to her face.

She has since been discharged from hospital.

James Redmond (58) was charged with murder and attempted murder last week when he appeared at Dublin District Court. He was remanded in custody, and the court ordered a psychological assessment. There were angry scenes in court last Monday when Mr Redmond – a neighbour of Ms Dargan – appeared.

Several members of the public shouted angrily at him as he was led in. One woman had to be removed from the court, while a furious man had to be restrained after he tried to jump over the seating to reach the accused.

The court heard that Mr Redmond did not respond at Tallaght garda station when he was charged with murder and attempted murder.

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