Sunday 25 May 2008

Joe Dolan remembered in Mullingar

More than 2,000 people gathered at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Mullingar for the funeral of the singer and entertainer Joe Dolan.
Among the first to arrive at the funeral this morning were leading figures in the Irish entertainment industry, including  Paddy Cole, Dickie Rock, Ronnie Drew, Brendan Grace and Oliver Barry.
The homily at the Requiem Mass was delivered by the Fr Brian Darcy.
The mourners heard how the 68-year-old singer secretly gave tens of thousands of euro to the poor during his career.
Speaking to a gathering at the Cathederal, Fr Darcy said Dolan had wanted the donations to remain private throughout his life.
Fr Darcy said that Dolan and his band were pioneers of the Celtic Tiger era because they brought joy and entertainment to a very dull nation in the 1960s.
The burial after the funeral mass was in Walshestown Cemetery.