‘We are grateful the sea gave Michael back to us’
The request was made at the funeral of Michael Hayes, the captain of the Tit Bonhomme, which sank off Glandore, Co Cork on Jan 15.
Thousands who attended Mr Hayes’ funeral at Ring, Co Waterford on Saturday heard chief celebrant Fr Pierce Cormac state it is the hope of Mr Hayes’ wife, Caitlin, sons Micheal and Ferdia and daughters, Lia, Ealga and Dearbhaile that in future no families would have to endure the wait to find survivors, or the bodies of loved ones.
Members of the Ring and Bunhamon GAA clubs — for which the skipper, 52, played in his younger days — formed a guard of honour along with RNLI personnel as the hearse was driven to the Church of St Nicholas in Ring.
Thousands lined the route, most of them staying outside in the rain to listen to the service on loudspeakers as they were unable to get into the small church.
There were emotional scenes inside as Mr Hayes’s youngest daughter, Dearbhaile, placed a picture of her father on the altar and members of the family lit six candles to remember the five crewmen who drowned and the sole survivor.
The body of Saied Ali Eldine, the last to be recovered from the sea, is being flown back to Egypt for burial.
The offertory gifts included GAA jerseys, a photo of the trawler Mr Hayes went down in, a book and a CD, which captured his love of music and song.
Fr Cormac, who had comforted families at Union Hall throughout the search, said: “No stone was left unturned [to help] in what was perhaps the largest search ever mounted in this country. Hope never fades and prayers from all languages and traditions were placed before God. They brought each of the crew home. That was a wonderful accomplishment.”
He said when Taoiseach Enda Kenny visited the search site, he had agreed that some technology had to be introduced to track fishermen if their boats got into trouble.
At the end of the Mass, Mr Hayes’s son Ferdia and daughter Ealga paid tribute to their father. Michael’s brother, Chief Superintendent Tom Hayes, thanked those who had been involved in search operation. “We are grateful that the sea gave Michael back to us, We will miss him always.”
