MORE THAN 1,000 mourners attended the funeral yesterday in Co Monaghan of a local man who was killed in the New Zealand earthquake last month.
The remains of Owen McKenna (41) were taken from his home in Brackagh, Emyvale, to the Church of the Sacred Heart in Carrickroe to be met by guards of honour from two local schools, Scoil Cnoc Ballyoisín and Deravoy National School. There was also a guard of honour from his GAA club Truagh Gaels and his coffin was draped in the red and black flag of the club for which he previously played as a goalkeeper.
Mr McKenna trained as a nurse in London before he worked in Saudi Arabia. There he met his wife Sarah and the couple moved to New Zealand about seven years ago. He is survived by his wife and children Grace (5) and Tadgh (6).
He is also survived by his brothers Brendan, Enda and Kieran and his four sisters Angela, Bernie, Catherine and Maria. The cortege was led by his mother Teresa (Teesy) who had travelled to New Zealand to bring the remains home.
The requiem Mass was broadcast on the internet.
Mr McKenna’s widow and children were not in Ireland for the funeral but had attended a memorial service for him in New Zealand, before he was taken home to Ireland at the weekend. Instead, the parish priest confirmed they were watching his funeral live on the internet link.
The requiem Mass was led by Fr Seán Nolan and other priests from the parish. Fr John Skinnedar, a native of the Truagh parish now based in Co Fermanagh, gave the homily.
Fr Nolan said Mr McKenna had expressed his wish to be buried in Ireland. “He was very much associated with the area here,” the priest said. “He had very strong tradition of Irish culture, music, song and dance, and always expressed a wish if anything happened to him, that his remains would be brought back home.”
Mr McKenna was buried beside his father Michael, who died in 1995, in the family grave just yards from the doors of Carrickroe chapel where he had been baptised and married.