Funeral for man who died on trawler

TEARS welled in the eyes of mourners yesterday as a young fisherman’s funeral cortege passed the trawler on which he died.

Thousands of people turned out to pay their last respects to Wayne Murphy, 25, who was found dead in a bunk in his father’s trawler, the Menhaden, in the early hours of last Tuesday morning.

His death, believed to be from natural causes, occurred as the trawler was fishing 25-miles west of Ullapool, Scotland.

The hearse bearing Mr Murphy’s remains passed the trawler at Castletownbere pier, as it took him from the local Sacred Heart Church to Droum Cemetery.

Eric Murphy paid tribute to his brother, who would have been 26 last Saturday, and remembered it was only a short-time ago he spoke at his wedding.

Chief mourners were Mr Murphy’s young wife, Marie, and their infant son, Chaelim. Also present were his parents, Larry and Carol, as well as brothers Eric and Ryan.

The Murphy family is well-known in fishing circles and people travelled from as far away as Donegal for the funeral.

The chief executive officer of the Irish South and West Fish Producers’ Organisation, Gerard O’Flynn, said trawlers in Castletownbere all flew their Irish flags at half mast.

“It was a very sad day, not only for the people of Castletownbere, but for the wider fishing community in this country,” he said.