Hundreds of mourners turned out to pay their respects to widow Anne Corcoran in west Cork tonight.
Relatives, neighbours and friends of Mrs Corcoran (60) guided her final journey from Gabriel & O'Donovan's Funeral Home, in Bandon, to St Patrick's Church in Kilbrittain, where the funeral ceremony will take place tomorrow at noon.
Two photographs of Mrs Corcoran and a single crucifix rested on the coffin as mourners quietly filled the rural village church. Parish priest Fr Tom O'Riordan made a special blessing of members of the dead woman's family as part of a short prayer service. A wreath spelling the name of the dead woman was among the flowers and notes of sympathy placed in the church.
Mrs Corcoran's body was discovered in a shallow grave at Kilmore Wood in west Cork last Friday after a massive two-week search operation.
The removal followed a special Rosary service which took place on Monday night for Mrs Corcoran, led by her brothers, aunts, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, grandnephews and grandnieces.
Thousands of mourners are expected to attend funeral mass for Mrs Corcoran tomorrow at midday in St Patrick's Church, Kilbrittain. Mrs Corcoran will be laid to rest beside her late husband, Jerry, in Kilbrittain Cemetery following the funeral ceremony.
Mrs Corcoran was not seen or heard from since January 19th, and a Garda investigation was launched when she was reported missing.
She had been living alone at an isolated two-storey farmhouse at Maulnaskimlehane, Kilbrittain, following the death of her husband in 2007.
She was last seen alive when she met a friend at the Speckled Door pub near the Old Head of Kinsale on the evening of January 18th. She later made a phone call on her mobile phone on January 19th.