Thousands pay last respects to FitzGerald

THOUSANDS of mourners paid their last respects to former taoiseach Garret FitzGerald as they lined the route to his final resting place.

The public packed roadsides and overhead bridges as his coffin was taken from the Sacred Heart Church, Donnybrook, to be buried next to his beloved wife Joan in Shanganagh Cemetery, Shankill, Co Dublin, following a state funeral.

Spontaneous applause often greeted the cortege following a sombre ceremony in which his three children and 10 grandchildren played a prominent role, along with Taoiseach Enda Kenny and former president Mary Robinson.