AT the requiem Mass for Mr Sean Brown, murdered by loyalist gunmen, a young Protestant neighbour read out a poem she had written about the man who always waved to her.
Fiona Smith (12), read her poem to mourners at St Mary's church in Bellaghy, Co Derry, yesterday at the funeral of the GAA official and father of six, who was kidnapped and murdered last Monday night.
Father Andrew Dolan said Mr Brown, chairman of the local Wolfe Tone club, who was abducted outside the club, was the victim of a diet of bigotry and hatred.
Bishop of Derry, Dr Seamus Hegarty, described Mr Brown's murder as an act of barbarity and pleaded with people not to use words of revenge.
In her poem, the schoolgirl wrote about the man who always waved and spoke to her, and she said she was saddened by his murder.
Thousands of people lined the streets of Bellaghy for Mr Brown's funeral as the procession made its way from his home to the church. The coffin was flanked by players from Mr Brown's club and was draped in a club jersey, worn by his son Damien in the 1995 All Ireland club final.
GAA officials from all over Ireland attended the funeral, among them past president Mr Jack Boothman and director general, Mr Liam Mulvihil. Young people dressed in the Wolfe Tone club colours formed a guard of honour as the remains were carried into the church.
Father Dolan said no one in the community would forget the debt it owed to Mr Brown, whom he described as a tireless worker for his parish, club and wider community. "The very people who plotted the death of Christ thought that they were doing a good and noble thing by getting rid of him.
"Likewise the ignorance of those who murdered Sean because of their diet of hatred and bigotry, thinking that it was a good idea to strike at the heart of our community.
"This diet we refer to contains a language which is dehumanising, not referring to people in a manner which befits those who are made in the image and likeness of God. Sadly this language is often used by public representatives, hopefully unwittingly, and fuels people to act out of that mindset about others and leaves us with days like today.
"People who commit such atrocities, or inspire others to do so, are really in dire need of our prayers, whether they recognise their poverty or not, or maybe they have never been able to recognise their own pain," he said.
In his homily, Bishop Hegarty said the barbaric nature of Mr Brown's death was an attack on all that was decent and noble.
"Sean's murder comes in close succession to the murders of Robert Hamill and Darren Bradshaw. These murders, as well as the numerous other unsuccessful murder attempts, must be unequivocally condemned," he said.
"At a time like this, it is important that the words we speak be words of peace not of conflict, words of reconciliation not words of revenge, words which build ups rather than words which destroy.
"Our words must be measured and considered at this time and they must be matched by corresponding Christian deeds. Even in their intense grief and loss, this is the message from Bridie and the Brown family. Sean himself would have it no other way.
"At a time like this, one could become anxious and apprehensive about the recent spiral of sectarian violence with such tragic results. Good Catholic and Protestant people abhor these actions; they reject and condemn them. They do not even attempt to justify them on ideological or religious grounds, and rightly so.
"Rather than be a cause of division, I hope that this stunning reminder to all of us of Sean Brown's death will strengthen our resolve and determination to care for and protect one another, accepting diversity and respecting people for holding different views," said Bishop Hegarty.