THE FAMILY of the late Nuala Fennell urged mourners at her funeral yesterday to make a blood donation in memory of her.
The late Ms Fennell’s daughter, Amanda, said her mother had suffered from the blood disease myelodysplasia and had been given an additional three “precious” years of life through the blood donations of others, for which her family were grateful.
She said her mother had lived life to the full and asked that, in lieu of flowers, mourners make a donation to St Vincent de Paul. “We know this is something Nuala would have wanted,” she said.
She also expressed the family’s gratitude for the care given to her mother at St Vincent’s hospital where she died on Tuesday.
Parish priest Fr John McDonagh officiated at the funeral Mass at the Church of the Assumption in Dalkey.
Capt Brian Walsh, aide-de-camp to President Mary McAleese was present, as was Comdt Michael Treacy, aide-de-camp to Taoiseach Brian Cowen.
Mourners included the leader of Fine Gael Enda Kenny, and the party’s former leader Alan Dukes. Mark FitzGerald, son of former taoiseach Garret FitzGerald, in whose government Ms Fennell was minister of state for women’s affairs and family law reform, was also present.
Also in the congregation were Susan McKay, director of the National Women’s Council of Ireland, and journalist and writer Nell McCafferty. Former Fine Gael minister for justice Nora Owen was present with former Fine Gael MEPs Mary Banotti and Avril Doyle, former Fine Gael deputy Monica Barnes and Fine Gael TD Olwyn Enright.
Padraic White, former chief executive of the IDA attended, as did former Fine Gael minister of State Michael D’Arcy and Fine Gael TD George Lee.
Chief mourners were Ms Fennell’s husband, Brian, her children Jacqueline, Garrett and Amanda and her grandchildren Ian, Eveline, Kate, James and Amelie.
Prayers were said for victims of injustice, discrimination and oppression and for those in political life as well as young women in Ireland today.
Gifts brought to the altar by Ms Fennell’s grandchildren included her wedding ring, her Dáil membership certificate, her passport to symbolise her love of travel and a certificate she received for skiing, as a symbol of her sense of fun and adventure.
Ms Fennell’s son Garrett said it seemed his mother had lived nine or 10 lives, including as a journalist, a politician, and a septuagenarian skier. She had a deep sense of social justice and a strong sense of compassion for those who were suffering. She also had a commitment to equality between men and women and had played a key role in dismantling the most offensive legal impediments to women while she was in government.
Ms Fennell’s contribution to Irish public life was praised last night by former minister for education Gemma Hussey. She said Ms Fennell had been a very strong, principled and good-humoured woman. “She blazed a trail for so many women and she is an enormous loss,” Ms Hussey said.
