Hundreds at funeral for woman who died with no relatives

About 300 people gathered in County Carlow on Tuesday for the funeral of an elderly woman who died without any surviving family.

Mary Regan, who was 89, had lived in Carlow town for about 20 years before her death in Hillview Nursing Home on 29 November.

Rory Healy, a funeral director from the town, posted on Facebook requesting for mourners from her "adopted town of Carlow" to gather so that she was not "sent off alone".

Hundreds gathered at Askea Church on Friday morning in what he described as a "tremendously humbling" act of community spirit.

According to Mr Healy, about 40 people would regularly attend morning Mass at Askea Church.

He described the attendance of about 300 people to the funeral Mass held for Mary as demonstrating "a great sense of humanity".

Mary had no one left in her life apart from distant relatives who still lived about 100 miles away in West Cork.

She rarely had visitors when she was in the nursing home.

Mr Healy said he expected about a dozen people to show up at the most.

"The hall kept filling up, I was bowled over by the response," he said.

"A class from the local primary school was also in attendance, offering gifts at Mass."

Mr Healy described Mary as a "quiet, reserved lady with a beautiful Cork lilt".

She was predeceased by her four siblings and her partner Fred (Tony) Lang.

Her body will now be brought to her native west Cork for burial at St Fachtna’s Church on Wednesday.