Swinford bade final, poignant farewell to Eileen and Tom Mahon

THE funerals took place in Swinford this morning of Eileen and Tom Mahon, the local couple who died in a fire at their home last week.

Several hundred mourners, including family, followed the hearses carrying the remains on foot through the town following a humanist remembrance service in the town’s Cultural Centre.

In a poignant moment, the hearses stopped briefly at the carpet and furniture store on the Dublin Road which has been operated for years by the Mahons as a family business.

Speaking on behalf of the bereaved family at the remembrance service, a friend of the family said the enormity of the loss of Thomas and Eileen has affected everyone in Swinford and far beyond.

The speaker added that the depth of the loss for the family can barely be imagined.

She continued that the couple’s daughters, Pearl and Claire, would like to express their gratitude especially to the local fire brigade, An Garda Síochána and the neighbours of their parents who raised the alarm.

Gratitude was also expressed to the entire Swinford community for its 'generosity and kindness'.

Items of remembrance brought forward by the couple’s four grandchildren included a Bible, representing Tom’s strong faith.

Mourners, at the request of the family, directed donations to the Gaza crisis emergency appeal.

The couple's remains were brought in the early afternoon for cremation.

Claire, one of Tom and Eileen Mahon’s daughters, is a member of the teaching staff at Breaffy National School, Castlebar.

Her teaching colleagues formed a guard of honour on part of the journey as the funeral cortege moved through Swinford.