Father Donal Roach called this the most disturbing funeral he has ever attended, a tribute to the criminal life, just like the scene in “The Sopranos.”
Dean Maguire, a 29-year-old Irish burglar who has been convicted more than 25 times, was killed in a violent highway accident, and the mourners decided to make an unforgettable farewell.
Some people blocked the road to the Catholic Church of St Mary’s Abbey in Tallaght, west of Dublin, and crowds poured into the church, ignoring Ireland’s Covid-19 regulations.
A screwdriver and a flashlight, tools for night trading, were brought to the altar.
A poster rhymes a tribute. “Rip Dean. You know the score, come on, stop teasing, give me the money.”
The mourner said that Maguire will not be forgotten. “Sorry, father-rest in peace, you fucking legend,” a lady said.
Roach said that the atmosphere was very tense. He tried to control the number of people entering the church while a colleague hosted Mass, but to no avail.
“This is the most disturbing service I have ever attended. There is a sense of anxiety that the presiding priest objected to it,” he Tell RTÉ“I don’t think there is such a big danger… but I do want to know, do I have to wear a belt here?”
Since the details of mass infiltrated into the media last Friday, the public has aroused strong protests against the practice of beautifying criminals at funerals.
Diarmuid Martin, the former Archbishop of Dublin, had previously vowed that the church would not hold such exhibitions. Roche said he had no warning about paying tribute to Maguire. When he called the police, he was told that their presence would exacerbate the situation and the police would only come when there was a crime.
Gardaí is investigating videos that appear to show hearses and some accompanying vehicles speeding and jumping over traffic lights.
Maguire, wanted by the British police, died together with Graham Taylor and Carl Freeman on July 7 when their BMW rammed a truck on the N7 highway , The truck driver was injured.
After escaping from the police, they drove the wrong way on the highway. According to reports, the three belonged to the same theft gang, and more than 200 people were convicted among them.
On Monday, Freeman was buried after the funeral procession, and a horse-drawn hearse was escorted by a scrambler motorcycle.
