There were emotional and tearful scenes in the Cork town of Midleton this afternoon as thousands of mourners gathered for the funeral of murdered schoolboy, 11 year-old Robert Holohan.
Shops and businesses closed for the funeral of Robert which started at 3 p.m. at the Church of the Holy Rosary in the town.
The celebrant, Fr Billy O'Donovan, said January 4, 2005, the day Robert disappeared, would live long in the nation's memory. He told the congregation that the schoolboy's parents had the support of the whole country.
"They know themselves they must start the long journey of looking to the future, coping with their grief and in time putting their lives back together again," he said.
The funeral was attended by representatives of the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and President Mary McAleese.
The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mr Micheal Martin, Minister of State with responsibility for Children, Mr Brian Lenihan, Minister of State Michael Ahern, the Mayor of Midleton Councillor Ted Murphy, the local Church of Ireland bishop Paul Colton and Bishop of Coyle John McGee were all present.
Thousands listened to the loudspeakers outside as Fr O'Donovan delivered his sermon. The emotion became too much for one child who went pale and had to be rushed out of the church and given a drink of water by his parents.
Many cried when he recalled his conversation with a Garda officer who had been guarding the scene where Robert's body was found. The Garda told him that he wanted Robert's parents to know that their young son was not alone that night.
"I just wished I had a blanket wrapped around him," the Garda said. Fr O'Donovan said all the people who had taken part in the searches for Robert were heroes.
"During the past 12 days we've witnessed and experienced something very special here and Midleton and the surrounding community."
He paid tribute to the bravery, generosity and sheer goodness of the people who had taken part in the search.
Fr O'Donovan read a message from President McAleese, who said she wanted to convey her admiration for what the community has done to help the Holohan family.
"Midleton has responded with resilience, dignity and sheer goodness."
She said the prayers of the entire nation were with the community. "No-one in Ireland has been untouched by this."
The prayers of the faithful were said by Robert's cousin Kelly and his hero, Cork hurler Sean Og O'Halpin. "Robert was an inspiration to all of us," he said.
Fr O'Donovan said today could be a day of hope for Robert. He said people often had a tendency to dwell on lives which are cut short but they should instead remember they had the joy and exuberance Robert had shown in his short life.
Robert - a fifth-class pupil at Midleton CBS primary school - was buried in the adjacent cemetery following the Requiem Mass.
Midleton GAA club provided a guard of honour from young children who played football and hurling with him.
He had been presented with a medal for winning the Under-11 football championship with the club the night before he disappeared.
All club activities, including matches, dances and bingo, have been cancelled until next Tuesday as a mark of respect.
The investigation into the murder is understood to be focusing on a small number of suspects in the belief that he may have been killed during a row by someone he knew.
The post-mortem examination revealed no evidence of sexual assault and gardai are understood to feel it is less likely that he was abducted and murdered by a sex offender. The post-mortem, carried out by the State Pathologist, Dr Marie Cassidy, confirmed that Robert died from asphyxiation.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, spoke by telephone yesterday to the family. A spokesman for the Taoiseach said: "He wanted to speak to them to pass on his sympathies, sympathies that are shared by everybody in the country."
Meanwhile, gardaí and army personnel are to continue searches today in the fields and ditches near Inch Strand in a bid to discover clues to the killer.
More than 50 detectives are following up 1,000 separate pieces of information in the murder investigation.