A family man first, who gave his life to public service, was how Labour Party TD Mr Michael Ferris was described yesterday to hundreds of mourners who attended his funeral in his home village of Bansha.
In a graveside oration which drew warm applause, the Labour leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn, said he had rarely heard tributes as sincere, genuine and heartfelt as those heard in Leinster House this week.
"In a profession where it does not take much effort to make enemies, Michael was a rare creature who was as much liked by political opponents as by his own party colleagues. His constant good humour . . . his zest for life, his concern for the well-being of others, his willingness to assist people were infectious."
Mr Quinn added: "Behind his genuinely pleasant manner and demeanour there was a tough politician and a skilled parliamentarian." The South Tipperary deputy was an internationalist in the true tradition of Wolfe Tone and James Connolly. "Michael was angered by poverty and injustice regardless of whether it was in Bansha, Ballymun or in Bangladesh."
Mr Ferris, who was 68, died suddenly on Monday while on EU business in Lisbon.
The large crowd of mourners included his wife, Ellen; his sons Michael, Tom, Bernard and Gerard; his daughters Grainne and Catherine; and his sister Josephine. His mother, Ms Mary Ferris, who is 94, was unable to attend due to illness.
The President, Mrs McAleese, was represented by her aide-decamp, Capt Pauline O'Connell, and the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, was represented by Capt Patrick Flynn. A large number of TDs and senators from all of the major parties was also present.
The chief celebrant, Archdeacon Matthew McGrath, told the congregation which packed the church of the Annunciation that Mr Ferris was a daily Mass-goer whose interest in humanity and justice was combined with a spiritual side.
"Michael Ferris's socialism and social democracy always sought to fulfil the complete needs of the person, both physical and spiritual. He was as much concerned about the quality of life as about the quantity of life. He was about values."
It was a thanksgiving Mass, Archdeacon McGrath added, for everything Mr Ferris had given them. He was "a devoted husband and family man . . . a good friend, a caring neighbour and public representative. He did his bit to increase our material wealth and to ensure that the soul of our nation would never become impoverished."
Readings at the Mass were given by Mr Ferris's daughter, Catherine, and his grandson, Cathal Ferris. Following the ceremony, his coffin, draped in The Starry Plough, was led by local piper Dinny Morrissey to the adjoining cemetery, where Mr Ferris's first wife, Josie, was buried in 1978.
As a light drizzle fell, Mr Quinn, referring to the deaths of deputies Jim Kemmy and Pat Upton, said the Labour Party had borne a particular burden of loss in recent times. Singer Louise Morrissey from Bansha ended the ceremony with a song favoured by Mr Ferris, The Glen of Aherlow.
