Irish Times journalist Andrew Hamilton was described at his funeral yesterday as "one of life's true gentlemen" .
The service was conducted by the Rev Harry Hall in Ardstraw Parish Church, Newtownstewart, Co Tyrone, and attended by a large gathering of family, friends, and colleagues from journalism and the motor industry.
Friend and colleague Olive Keogh said he was larger than life and good humoured. He had many lives, she said. He was a much-loved brother and uncle, a journalist and writer in Dublin, a genial west Cork host and a jet-setter. "He had fundamental decency, generosity and a child-like curiosity and love of people," Ms Keogh said.
Mr Hamilton's sister, Joy Brown, said he had died there and was brought home to rest in the church and then in the family plot in the town he loved so well.
Chief mourners were his sister Joy, brother Roy, sister-in-law Annette, brother-in-law Graham, and nieces and nephews Glenda, Hamilton, Claire, Heather, Ian, Jill and Carol.
Close friends included Don Hall, of Don Hall PR; Sgt Brendan Walsh, Garda Press Office; and Frank O'Mahony, west Cork.
Those from the motor industry included: Franz Danner and Gianpiero Mantovanni from Mazda, who had flown in from Germany; Paddy Corcoran, formerly of Fiat; Nigel O'Flaherty, Motor Distributors of Ireland; Michael Moroney, Farm Tractor and Machinery Trade Association; Stephen Byrne, Mercedes MDL; Frank Cullen, PR for Ford; Jim Cusack, Toyota Ireland; Mark Teevan, Lexus; Michael Nugent, BMW, and many more.
From The Irish Times were: Geraldine Kennedy, editor; Paul O'Neill, deputy editor; Michael McAleer, motors editor; Jack Fagan, commercial property editor; Renagh Holohan, assistant news editor; Jan McLaughlin, human resources manager, and many other colleagues.
The attendance also included journalists Ella Shanahan, Martin Cowley, Darrach McDonald, editor of the Ulster Herald, Paddy Clancy, and Donal Byrne of RTÉ.