Hundreds of mourners filled the small village church of Kilbrittain, west Cork, for the funeral ceremony of widow Anne Corcoran today.
The tragic circumstances of the woman's death were called to mind by chief celebrant of the mass, Fr Tom O'Riordan, who spoke of a sense of fear in the community, compounded by a deep sorrow and unanswered questions, as a result of the manner in which she died.
"We sympathise with one another, we are saddened and grieving. We come with bewilderment, with questions that will never be answered and with anger, that is natural and normal and we should ask God for his help. We come with fear, there is lots of fear around in the community and we need God for that," Fr O'Riordan said.
"We should remember the Hayes family at this time, in their troubled moments," Fr O'Riordan said.
Mrs Corcoran's body was discovered in a shallow grave at Kilmore Wood in west Cork last Friday after a massive two-week search operation.
Her wedding album and a photograph of her taken by the sea rested on her coffin during the funeral ceremony.
In a harrowing tribute, Maureen O'Donovan - a close friend of Mrs Corcoran, described the deceased as someone who had great time for everyone and who loved to laugh.
"She loved meeting people and she loved going to mass. She had time for everybody including her two dogs. She loved to share the day-to-day happenings and problems and give advice. She loved to share the good news and have a laugh.
"She was devoted to her late husband Jerry and she cared for him so willingly, particularly in the last nine months of his life. Anne, a great friend, one of the best, rest in peace."
Kevin Kelly, a nephew of Ms Corcoran's, paid tribute to those who participated in the massive search operation for his aunt. He described the efforts of a tight knit community who pulled together at a time of great tragedy as "sensational".
"I would like to thank the huge number of volunteers that came from near and far to help in the search for Anne, the strong sense of community that we witnessed in the past weeks only can be described as sensational. I think that everyone drew strength from the strong community spirit when setting out on the search each morning.
"Each person who participated in any way in the search for Anne, you should be extremely proud of what you have done for Anne's family. Your family and friends should be proud of what you have done. The family of Anne Corcoran are forever in your debt."
Those who participated in the search for Ms Corcoran formed a guard of honour as her remains were carried from the church to the nearby Kilbrittain cemetery, where she was laid to rest next to her late husband.