Hundreds of mourners packed a Dublin south inner city church on Friday for the funeral mass of James ‘Jaws’ Byrne, whose son Liam was a key figure in the Kinahan cartel operation in Ireland and whose youngest son, David, was murdered by the Hutch gang in the Regency Hotel attack in 2016.
Byrne, a career criminal targeted twice by the Criminal Assets Bureau, was 77-years-old when he died last weekend in Tallaght Hospital, after suffering from illness for some time. His son Liam (43) was unable to attend Friday’s funeral as he is currently in a British prison awaiting trial on gun running charges.
However, Liam’s son, Lee Byrne (25), addressed mourners at length about his grandfather. He also read some words his father had asked him to convey to those present, saying his father could never thank his grandfather enough for the life he gave him.
In an emotional and lengthy address to those present, Lee told mourners his grandfather “loved life”.
“He loved all his children, his grandchildren, sisters and especially our nanny, Sadie,” he told mourners. “He taught us all values that money can’t buy. He taught us all; from his own children to his grandchildren that we should all stick together and always watch out for each other.
“He was his happiest when we were all together, whether it was for favourite holidays, birthdays, Christmas, Liverpool matches, he was a true reds supporter. You’ll never walk alone.
[ James ‘Jaws’ Byrne: Fixer, fear merchant, fatherOpens in new window ]
“There’s an old saying ‘paper never refuses ink’ and, to our granda, we wouldn’t have enough paper, pens or ink to write about what you meant to us. You meant the world to us, you gave us all your love, life, morals to be the men and women, the people that we are today.”
He added the last few weeks had been “very hard for my granda but all he was worried about was my da”, he said in reference to Liam Byrne who is due to go on trial in the Old Bailey, London, on firearms conspiracy charges from Monday.
“He asked the doctors to please make him better and get him to September. Well, granda, you got to September and you never gave up the fight,” he said.
Mr Byrne then told mourners his father Liam, currently on remand in Belmarsh Prison, had asked him to “say a few words” on his behalf at the funeral.
“You all know how close they both were, I even get a bit jealous sometimes. They have a bond that can never be broken, they were inseparable. My da would tell us the stories like granda taught him. He will never be able to thank him enough for the life and the love that my granda gave him. He’s so, so, sorry that he can’t be here today, especially to support my nanny who he also adores.”
Traffic on Meath Street came to a standstill for the service, from noon on Friday at St Catherine’s Church. The family were brought to and from the church in five limousines. James Byrne, also known as ‘Jemmy’, of Raleigh Square, Crumlin, is survived by his wife, Sadie and children James, Joanne, Melanie, Maria, Liam. The coffin containing the deceased’s remains was brought into the church as Frank Sinatra’s Circles rang out.
A large group of Byrne’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren read prayers at the Mass. His glasses, lottery tickets, a TV remote control and a family photograph were offered up to mark his life. There were also numerous floral tributes in his memory, including one that read My Hero.
Many of the middle-aged gang figures who joined mourners at the funeral of David Byrne in 2016 were not present. The Byrne organised crime group, led by Liam Byrne, has been largely dismantled by the Garda in recent years.
Many well-known criminals aligned to the gang are in prison or now living abroad, unable to return to Ireland. Byrne was due to be buried at Mount Jerome Cemetery on Friday afternoon.
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to our Inside Politics podcast for the best political chat and analysis
