Some 500 uniformed members of the Garda Siochana yesterday marched behind the coffin of their colleague, Sgt Andy Callanan, who was killed in a fire in Tallaght Garda station in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Thousands of mourners lined the route as the funeral cortege made the two-mile journey from the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer in Bray to Springfield Cemetery in Ballywilton.
Much of the Co Wicklow town was closed during the ceremony. Sgt Callanan's colleagues marched four abreast; some were having obvious difficulty holding back tears.
The Chief Constable of the RUC, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, also marched with the cortege.
The Church of the Most Holy Redeemer was filled to overflowing for the funeral Mass. Hundreds of Sgt Callanan's Garda colleagues stood with friends and neighbours from his home town of Thurles, Co Tipperary, and his adopted home in Bray and listened to the Mass on a public address system set up outside the church.
Hundreds more people from the town stood and prayed on footpaths opposite the church.
Almost all of Sgt Callanan's colleagues from Tallaght Garda station were present for the funeral, and floral tributes from colleagues all over the State were towed behind the funeral cortege by a Garda jeep.
Sgt Callanan's sister, Mary, sang with Thurles Cathedral Church Choir at the Mass, which was celebrated by the parish priest of Bray, Father John O'Connell. The congregation heard Sgt Callanan described as a "shining light" by the acting Garda chaplain, Father Ralph Egan, who delivered the homily.
Sgt Callanan was "someone who was able to communicate humanity amidst the sometimes awkward tasks that policemen have to do". He was "a gentle giant" with "a disarming smile" who had "saved someone who for whatever reason was doing something foolish".
Sgt Callanan had "acted when he could have got somebody else to do it". This was typical of a man who had been "a brother and a father to his colleagues" and "had led from the front and never asked anyone to do what he wouldn't do himself.
"He wanted to treat people as he would want his own loved ones to be treated . . . He was dedicated, he was a hero, he was a saint. Thank God we are still able to produce people like Andy," Father Egan concluded.
The mourners were led by Sgt Callanan's widow, Yvonne. He is survived by his children Stephen (5), Sophie (2) and Jennifer (2). His father and five sisters also survive him.
The President, Mrs McAleese, arrived at the church with her husband, Dr Martin McAleese, and the Garda Commissioner, Mr Patrick Byrne.
The Taoiseach was represented by his aide-de-camp, Capt Michael Kiernan. Members of the Government present included the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr O'Donoghue, the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Dr Woods, and the Attorney General, Mr McDowell. The Archbishop of Cashel and Emly, Dr Dermot Clifford, and the Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin, Dr Martin Drennan, were also present. The former minister for justice, Mrs Nora Owen TD, attended, as did the leader of the Labour Party, Mr Ruairi Quinn TD, and his party colleague, Ms Liz McManus TD. The Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr Eamonn Barnes, was also among the mourners.
