Former minister was fearless modern-day prophet, mourners told

The late Government minister Conor Cruise O’Brien was a modern-day prophet who wasn’t afraid to pay the price for his controversial views, his funeral mass heard today.

Friend Fr Patrick Claffey said the UN diplomat and writer, who died on Thursday aged 91 years, dedicated his long life towards striving for truth, justice and peace.

Among those who filled today’s service in the Church of the Assumption in Howth was former president Mary Robinson, Nobel Prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney and former Taoiseach Garret Fitzgerald.

Also in attendance to remember the former Labour TD was Labour party leader Eamon Gilmore and deputy leader Joan Burton, as well as former leaders Pat Rabbitte and Ruairi Quinn.

In his homily, Fr Claffey told mourners: “I have come to see Conor as a prophetic figure, inhabiting the somewhat lonely spaces that prophets do, on the margins.

He added: “It is in the nature of prophets to be prickly, awkward, contrary - saying things we don’t always want to hear and calling for us to changing our way of thinking when building a world based on truth and justice.”

Fr Claffey also told the congregation that Mr O’Brien stood up to paramilitaries and helped to stop Northern Ireland sliding into ethnic-tribal warfare like Bosnia in the 1990s.

“Conor was certainly one of those people, willing to pay the personal and political price, even if this has not always been understood and appreciated,” added Fr Claffey.

One of Mr O’Brien’s most controversial books, To Katanga And Back, was sourced from letters sent to his wife, Maire.

“Much of the material for the book was drawn from their incredible letters, many written in Irish, to keep the information safe from prying eyes,” revealed Fr Claffey.

Turning to Mr O’Brien’s widow, the priest added: “You filled his life for almost 50 years, with its ups and downs no doubt, but always with the deepest love.”

In a touching tribute, son Patrick recalled his father’s mischievous sense of fun. He said Mr O’Brien was also a near-perfect mimic who did accurate impressions of Eamon de Valera and former UN secretary general Dag Hammarskjold.

“For all his achievements, he was a modest man who never got caught up in the trappings of fame,” added Patrick.

“He carried his learning and ambition lightly and never used it to intimidate others.”

In a wide-ranging career, Dr Cruise O’Brien served as a civil servant in the Departments of Finance and External Affairs, and also worked at the United Nations.

He was elected as a Labour TD in 1969 and served as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs from 1973 until he lost his Dail seat in 1977.

He is survived by his wife Maire Mhac An tSaoi, daughter Margaret, son Patrick, and by his daughter Fedelma and son Donal from his first marriage.

Mr O’Brien was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery.