Mourners at the funeral of Belfast folk musician Ray McAreavey have heard how he was a “blessing in the life of so many”.
Family and friends of the singer (79) gathered to say their final farewells at St Brigid’s Church in south Belfast on Thursday, where they heard of his love for his family and the “great passion in Ray’s life - music”.
A former member of Irish rebel band The Wolfhound who rose to fame in Ireland during the outbreak of the Troubles, Mr McAreavey died last Friday.
Tributes have remembered him as a “legendary Irish rebel balladeer”, who formed The Wolfhound in 1970 with bandmates Gogie McCullough and Danny Burns, and their first single, The Boys of the Old Brigade, released in 1972.
The lyrics were given to the group to record by the song’s writer, late west Belfast musician Paddy McGuigan of the band Barlycorn, who famously penned 1971 anti-internment song The Men Behind The Wire.
Fr Edward O’Donnell told mourners at the funeral of Mr McAreavey that he was devoted to his family and to his music.
“Ray loved music, folk music...he was a gifted musician and singer,” he said.
The priest also recalled how Mr McAreavey had trained as a french polisher before he “went to college and became a teacher, teaching in a school for the children of travellers”.
“He was a prolific reader, a keen gardener, a great cook and coached football at Aquinas College and was involved in cross-community football, setting up a team which included boys from Taughmonagh, Poleglass and Twinbrook,” he said.
“The good that Ray did, sometimes unseen, some now forgotten - God saw, God knows.”
Fr O’Donnell said that Mr McAreavey had faced numerous health battles during his life.
“Ray endured much sickness, he survived cancer in 1986 and again in 2004 and again in 2014, latterly he developed Parkinsons disease which robbed him of his ability to play his instruments,” he said
But he added that the musician had faced his illness “without complaint” adding that Mr McAreavey was a “blessing in the life of so many”.
Following the Requiem Mass, a service took place at Roselawn Crematorium.
