‘He was a hard worker and good friend’

THE relatives of a father of two killed in a violent feud have no wish to see another family suffer a similar tragedy, his requiem Mass in Cork heard yesterday.

Gerard Delaney, 51, from Mahon, was savagely beaten after a row outside a pub in Ballyphehane on the southside of the city in the early hours of December 27. He suffered head and stab injuries and died shortly after his arrival at Cork University Hospital.

Gardaí believe the death is related to an ongoing feud between rival families on the southside. However, Mr Delaney is not thought to have been party to the feud and was generally viewed as a peacemaker.

Yesterday at the Church of the Assumption in Ballyphehane, celebrant Fr Paul O’Donoghue said Mr Delaney’s family and friends were united in shock at the tragic passing of a beloved husband, brother and grandfather.

“Today we gather in sadness and shock to remember and pray for Gerard — a husband, a father, a grandfather, a brother, relation, neighbour and friend.

“The tragic death of Gerard has caused darkness to descend on all of you.

“One of the hard facts of life is that death doesn’t wait for old age. Life can be taken away from each of us so easily.

“Gerard’s family don’t want to see anyone else suffer like they have as a family. The sudden death of Gerard has saddened all of us. At times like this you feel lost and helpless. It doesn’t make sense. It is not fair.”

Mr Delaney’s daughter Karen remembered a loving father who “could never do things by half”.

“We all knew my dad as a hard worker and a good friend but to us he was a dad and granddad,” she said.

“When we were small he had to give us the latest computers, the newest shoes and the best bikes.

“If we asked for a bird we got an aviary. When [Mr Delaney’s grandchildren] Luke and Dylan came along he thought he was the only man to ever be a granddad. He cuddled them at every chance. He will always be Luke’s rainbow and Dylan’s star.

“We are thankful for our last Christmas we had together — those few days to just ourselves. I hope you [Dad] have gone to the Lanzarote in the sky where you will always be warm.”

Karen said her father was so proud of his grandchildren that he got their names tattooed on his arms, proudly showing off the tattoo to family members.

She said that even though Luke and Dylan had their grandfather for such a short time he would forever be in their hearts such was the impact he had on their lives.

Karen finished her tribute by saying she would miss her daily phonecalls from her dad and would forever mourn a father she could rely upon.

Floral tributes with the words “Daddy” adorned the coffin. Mr Delaney’s brothers and his extended family members provided a guard of honour outside the Church.

Mr Delaney is survived by his wife Mary and their grown-up children Karen and Gerard. As a younger man he lived in Plunkett Road in Ballyphehane but at the time of his death he was based in Lakeland Crescent in Mahon. He was laid to rest at St Michael’s cemetery in Blackrock.

Sinn Féin councillor Chris O’Leary has described Mr Delaney as a decent and honourable man who was a loving husband, father and grandfather.

Mr Delaney did not have convictions for serious crime and had tried to keep himself out of a family feud with the Crinnion family and their associates.

However, he became involved in the row after a relative phoned him while he was babysitting and asked him and others for back-up at The Manhattan bar at Lower Friars Walk in Ballyphehane.

Several people were injured during the violence, which spilled out onto the street.

Mr Delaney sustained stab wounds to the head, neck and other parts of the body and was severely beaten.

He was taken to a nearby house at Plunkett Road and later brought by car to Cork University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

Two people were arrested in relation to the incident but were released without charge.

A postmortem examination on Mr Delaney by assistant state pathologist Dr Margot Bolster confirmed he died from a combination of blunt force trauma and stab wounds.

Yesterday’s funeral passed without incident or tension and there was no obvious Garda presence. More than 60 gardaí are now involved in the probe into Mr Delaney’s death.

Superintendent Charlie Barry, who is leading the investigation, has appealed for witnesses to the incident to contact Togher Garda Station at 021 4947120.