Jonathan says final farewell to his mum Geri

Some of the biggest names in the world of entertainment stood side by side with actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers this morning as he said a final farewell to his late mother.

Geri Rhys Meyers passed away on Tuesday morning at the Mercy University Hospital, Cork, following a short illness.

Mourners including actors Colin Farrell and Cillian Murphy packed into St Joseph’s Church in Glanmire, Co Cork, for the funeral service.

The congregation, lead by Jonathan, who was accompanied by his girlfriend Reena Hammer, his father John O’Keeffe and his three brothers Alan, Jamie and Paul, heard Parish Priest Fr Noel O’Sullivan describe Mrs Myers O’Keeffe as a “loving, caring mother, who would go out of her way to help people.”

“She was a small woman, with a big heart,” said Fr O’Sullivan.

“No words of mine can soften the grief felt by her family at this time. While it is hard for them to see beyond her death, in time they will find consolation by asking Geri to help them, and they will find she will be helping,” he added.

Fr O’Sullivan used an image taken from Shakespeare’s play 'As You Like It' to describe Mrs Myers O’Keeffe’s life.

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts,” quoted Fr O’Sullivan.

“This is a very apt image for life. In our lifetime we play many parts some joyful, some sorrowful, some very public and some private. When the action leaves the stage and the curtain comes down, it is the end of the play.”

Fr O’Sullivan said that in life when someone leaves the stage the play is not over “it is only beginning.”

“Life is like a prologue to the permanent existence that begins when we walk into the wings,” he said.

“On Monday, Geri unexpectedly left the stage. What she knows now is a new life, a better life, and she would not exchange places with us,” added the priest.

John O’Keeffe’s sister Deirdre, led the congregation in song during the funeral, while Mrs Myers O’Keeffe’s two sons Alan and Jamie did the readings. Following the service Mrs Myers O’Keeffe’s remains were interred at St Catherine’s cemetery in Kilcully.

Last night the actor and his family arrived at Barry’s Funeral Home in Glanmire amid tight security for his mother’s removal.

The actor was flanked by private security guards holding umbrellas to shield him from waiting photographers, as he emerged from a black people carrier with his girlfriend Reena and three brothers at precisely 6pm.

After a short prayer service, Mrs Myers O’Keeffe’s coffin made the short drive to nearby St Joseph’s Church, with Jonathan and other mourners walking behind the hearse.

Courtesy of The Evening Echo