Some of the choices made by David “Daithí” Douglas in his early life were “not the best choices for his life”, his funeral Mass heard on Monday.
Mr Douglas (55), from Killala Road, Cabra, was shot in the doorway of a shop he ran with his wife on Bridgefoot Street, Dublin 8 on Friday, July 1st, and later died. He was the latest victim in a series of gangland murders carried out in Dublin since February.
Delivering the homily at the funeral at the Church of the Most Precious Blood in Cabra in Dublin, Canon Damian O’Reilly said the deceased had died “in the most tragic of circumstances”.
At the funeral service, he was “surrounded by those who knew him best and loved him most”.
“They don’t sit in judgment; no, they sit and are gathered here in support for those who now must continue the journey without David.
‘Made peace with God’
“For those who loved David, needless to state that love was and is unconditional. David made his peace with God, and of that we have no doubts. What he wanted most was to walk his beloved dog and walk in peace in the safety of his family.”
Summing up what he said were the family's expressed wishes and thoughts for the funeral, Fr O'Reilly said that when Mr Douglas began his journey in life 55 years ago in Cabra West, Ireland was "a very different place".
“David was a man born into a loving family. Daithí, like most of us, lived life his way. Some choices he made were very good choices - especially his decision to marry Yumei and having the wonderful gift of his daughter .
“Other choices he made in his early life were not the best choices for his life. Today, we gather to say farewell to David, to remember the warmth and love he displayed to those closest to him.
“As David was there for them, they too were there for David. His earthly journey has now drawn to a close and as we come today to lay David to rest, we silently smile as we recall his happy moments in his life and we reflect on some of the bad decisions he made which resulted in the torments that life had inflicted on him, resulting in his tragic death.”
‘They need us most’
Calling on those in attendance to turn their love, prayers and support to Mr Douglas’s wife and daughter, Fr O’Reilly added: “Now is the time they need us most.”
He asked that the day be a farewell to a husband, a father and a brother.
“Let today be a new beginning for us all.”
Shot late last year outside the home he shared with his wife and child in what gardaí believe was a murder attempt, Daithí Douglas was still recovering from his injuries when he was targeted for a second time on July 1st.