THE IRISH community in London were out in force this week to pay their respects to a Kerry man who died last month without any known relatives.
John Lynch from Ballylongford in Ireland passed away of kidney failure at his west London nursing home back in June.
But despite the best efforts of the local Irish community, no living relatives were located.
Lynch had moved to the UK from Ireland with his family as a child, making finding any long-lost relatives a difficult task.
Fearing no one would be in attendance at upcoming Lynch’s funeral mass, Dermot O’Grady, a prominent figure in London’s thriving Irish community, decided to take action.
A part of the social group the Kerry Association which supports a wealth of charitable initiatives in Kerry and London, O’Grady was keen for Lynch to enjoy a proper send-off, so decided to launch an appeal.
Appearing on Radio Kerry’s TalkAbout programme, he asked any Irish people living across London to attend Lynch’s funeral mass.
O’Grady’s pleas did not fall on deaf ears either with as many as 85 people turning out for the funeral mass - a figure that even surprised the priest in attendance.
Image: Radio Kerry“He was only expecting four or five people to attend but there was close to 85,” O’Grady told Radio Kerry.
Speaking to the radio station, O’Grady revealed how Lynch was buried in his beloved Kerry jersey as part of a service celebrating his Irish roots.
“The coffin was draped with the Kerry flag and there were a number of people there from the county who were wearing the Kerry jersey,” he said.
“There wasn’t a part of the county between one person or another from various areas that didn’t turn up”.
A wonderful send-off and testament to the Irish community abroad.
