A PRIEST at the funeral of the latest victim of the Dublin gangland feud yesterday told mourners how he recognised that 'breaking the cycle of violence is not easy'.
There was a heavy Garda presence as hundreds of people gathered at Church of the Holy Family in north Dublin to pay their last respects to Gareth Hutch.
As his coffin was brought to the church, a number of white doves were released into the sky.
Gareth was shot outside his home at Avondale House in Dublin on May 24, believed to be the seventh victim of a feud between the Kinahan and Hutch criminal gangs.
A nephew of Gerry Hutch, he is the third member of the family to die in the feud, which began when his cousin Gary Hutch was murdered in Spain last year.
He knew his life was under threat after the violence escalated in March with the killing of Kinahan kingpin David Byrne at the Regency Hotel.
Fr Paddy Madden told mourners that Gareth's primary concern had been for the "safety, well-being, care and protection of his son, Preston".
"Every tragedy has a human face. Beyond analysis, comment and speculation we have pain and tears," said Fr Madden.
"Life is precious, sacred, God-given."
The priest told mourners that breaking the cycle of violence is not easy, "it needs courage, restraint, goodwill and right reason and a desire for peace."
"I know that the desire for peace is the springboard to a better future", he said.
Two people have been charged in connection with his murder.
