Smurfit funeral told of suffering

Jason Smurfit came from a background of wealth and privilege but knew great suffering due to mental illness, his uncle businessman Michael Smurfit told mourners at his funeral Mass yesterday.

Hundreds gathered at the Church of Our Lady of Succour, Foxrock, Dublin, for the service. Mr Smurfit (35) was found burned to death in the grounds of a Catholic church in London just over a week ago. No one else is thought to have been involved in the incident.

The son of the late Jeff Smurfit jnr, he had suffered from schizophrenia. He had been diagnosed with the illness from a very young age and it was compounded by his father's death, Mr Smurfit said.

His illness often made him hard to relate to "but when he was clear-minded he was a very engaging and attractive young person", he said.

It was "a marvellous consolation" that Mr Smurfit was now at peace, the chief celebrant of the Mass and family friend, Fr Joe Drumgoole, told the congregation.

He struggled against his illness, which "gnawed at him" for years, Fr Drumgoole said. "In the end he decided he couldn't take any more so he ended it all. When he did he then found that peace he was looking for."

Death was always "terrible", he said. "It is awful and when it touches us we are lost. But as soon as we hear the words of the mass, the sadness of death gives way to the hope of immortality."

Mr Smurfit was now at peace with his father, Fr Drumgoole said. Mr Smurfit is survived by his mother Ann, sisters Karena and Tina, and brother Jeff.