The funeral has taken place of Patrick Bernard McDonald, known as Paddy, father of Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald.
Mr McDonald, of Dalkey, Co Dublin, formerly a builder, died on July 29th at the Caritas Nursing Home on Merrion Road.
Family members, friends and political colleagues of the Sinn Féin leader attended the funeral Mass at the Church of St Paul of the Cross, Mount Argus in Dublin, celebrated by Father Joe Kennedy, with Father Eugene McCarthy.
Fr Kennedy, chaplain to An Garda Siochána, told the congregation that Mr McDonald’s sisters were very involved with the church over the years and “it is appropriate that we are here to bid Paddy goodbye”.
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Fr Kennedy said he had led the ceremony before the interment of the ashes of Mr McDonald’s eldest sister Maeve following her death in 2022. Mr McDonald is also predeceased by his sister Phyllis who died in 2019.
Mr McDonald’s death notice on RIP.ie said he “will be dearly missed by his beloved partner Shirley, sisters Nora and Joan, all his family and friends”.
Ms McDonald, one of four siblings with sisters Bea and Joanne, and brother Patrick, posted about her father’s death on social media. She wrote: “My father has died. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. My family is grieving. A million thanks for all the love and support for us. We appreciate it greatly.”
At the ceremony Mr McDonald’s niece Tracy did a reading from Ecclesiastes, “A Time for Everything”. Ms McDonald also did a reading, a letter from St Paul to the Romans, which starts: “The life and death of each of us has its influence on others.”
There were prayers for peace, with Fr Kennedy saying “there is much conflict in various parts of the world particularly Gaza and Ukraine, and indeed worrying times too in the North of Ireland at this time”.
Ms McDonald’s son Gearóid played the guitar and sang the Scottish folk ballad ‘Caledonia’. As the funeral cortege left the church he sang and played the Beatles’ song ‘Yesterday’.
Along with members and friends of the family those attending the funeral included former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams; Minister for Infrastructure in the Northern Ireland Executive John O’Dowd; party TDs Louise O’Reilly and Dessie Ellis; Independent TD Verona Murphy and Sinn Féin Senator Paul Gavan.
Also attending the funeral Mass were Dawn Doyle, Ms McDonald’s chef de cabinet; Ciarán Quinn the party’s representative in North America; Mr Adams’ assistant and press officer Richard McAuley; Maria Doherty, daughter of former Sinn Féin vice president and MP Pat Doherty; Mike O’Brien, senior head office official; Anne O’Sullivan, long-time party activist; and Eimear Ferguson of Ms McDonald’s Leinster House team.
After the funeral Mass the cortege moved to the Victoria Chapel at Mount Jerome crematorium for a brief prayer ceremony before Mr McDonald’s cremation. At the end of the ceremony Frank Sinatra’s My Way was played.
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