Tributes paid to 'special gifts' of late Irish Times executive

A large gathering of family, friends and work colleagues attended a funeral service in Dublin yesterday for Michael Austen (51), deputy managing director of The Irish Times, who died suddenly last Tuesday.

The humanist service at Mount Jerome Crematorium was conducted by Brian Whiteside, a friend of the Austen family.

"We are completely devastated at Michael's totally untimely death," he said.

On behalf of all those in attendance, he extended to Michael's wife, Anne Daly, and their children, Kevin and Maeve Ann, "sympathy, support and love at this ghastly time".

In a tribute, Irish Times managing director Maeve Donovan spoke of his very special gifts of intelligence, insight and enormous patience.

She added: "We admired him, cared about him, and we will miss him every day. When the story is written on saving The Irish Times's precious jewel [its status as an independent newspaper] Michael's name will be there shining brightly."

Barry Devlin, a neighbour of the Austen family, read from Balfe's Bohemian Girl, while Paul Gueret, a sailing friend, quoted John Masefield's poem, I Must Go Down to the Sea Again.

Family friend Graham Kearon, whose children Jess and Eleanor played violins at the ceremony, spoke of an "extremely generous, extremely friendly" man.

Peter Austen said Michael had been "a great brother to us, very loving, very generous".

His wife Anne said he would be missed hugely, but that the presence of so many familiar faces was very comforting to her and her children.

The chief mourners were Anne, their children and Michael's sister Maura and brothers Peter, Paul and Brian.

The attendance included Irish Times Trust chairman Prof David McConnell; chairman of The Irish Times Limited, Brian Patterson, editor Geraldine Kennedy and other directors. Also present were many commercial and editorial colleagues; Turlough O'Sullivan of Ibec, John White of Siptu, Séamus Dooley of the National Union of Journalists, and Austen family neighbours Ali Hewson and Caroline Erskine.