Fire attack victim Mary Holt had 'heart of gold', Edenderry funeral hears

Mourners walking behind the hearse with the coffin of Mary Holt being brought into Saint Mary's Church, Edenderry. Picture: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.ie

Mary Holt “had a heart of gold”, her funeral mass in Edenderry has heard.

The 60-year-old was killed alongside her four-year-old great-nephew Tadgh Farrell in a fire attack on a Co Offaly home shortly before 7.45pm on December 6.

They were discovered dead in the front room of the house where the fire had been deliberately started, gardaí said.

Her funeral cortege stopped at Ofalia House care home, where Ms Holt worked, on its way to St Mary’s Church on Sunday.

Staff dressed in scrubs formed a guard of honour as the hearse pulled into the church grounds.

Addressing the congregation, Ms Holt’s niece, Tiffany, said: “Mary had a heart of gold, she cared for everyone.” 

She described a close-knit family, and how Ms Holt had cared for her mother Peig, saying: “I know for many years after Mary gave up her whole life, she cared for my nanny and other people in the community.

“She adored her work colleagues and residents in the Ofalia House.

“She was happy with the small things in life, a cup of tea and a chat.” 

Mary Holt was remembered as someone who "cared for everyone".

She read a letter from Ofalia House, where Ms Holt started working aged 15, which described her as “a gentle soul whose kindness and compassion touched every resident”.

Four-year-old Tadgh’s funeral was held on Friday, and mourners on Sunday heard how Ms Holt “built up a beautiful relationship” with him.

Prayers were also said for those killed in a collision in Co Tipperary at the weekend, and for the victims of the gun attack at Bondi Beach in Australia on Sunday.

Sean Glennon, whose wife lives at the care home where Ms Holt worked, described her as having an “aura of calmness and friendliness lifted the spirits of visitors and staff”, adding the “ripple effects” of her death will be “immense”.

John Nolan, a musician who performed at both family funerals, described the past week as “very emotional”, adding he and the wider community were “shattered”.

After the fire, Tadgh’s grandmother was taken to hospital for treatment of serious burn injuries.

On Wednesday, gardaí released CCTV footage of the attack that appears to show two hooded individuals smash a window before lighting an object on fire and throwing it into the property.