Former Cork lord mayor Donal Counihan remembered for family devotion and public service at funeral

Former Cork lord mayor remembered for dedication to family, public service and community at funeral attended by political figures

Former Cork Lord Mayor Donal Counihan with former, bishop emeritus John Buckley and Sonia O'Sullivan at the start of the Cork City marathon in 2008. File picture: Richard Mills

The late Donal Counihan had three passions in life — family, politics and GAA — which would change priority depending on the time of year, the former Cork lord mayor’s requiem Mass heard on Friday.

Mr Counihan’s son Kieran said the hunt for All-Ireland tickets might vie for precedence with an election campaign or an árd fheis, but when it came to family, his father was “truly amazing”.

“As a husband, a father, a grandfather, a brother … nothing was ever too much trouble for him, and he quietly bonded our family together,” Kieran told the congregation in St Michael’s Church in Blackrock.

Donal Counihan, who was first elected to what was then Cork Corporation in 1979, served as a councillor for the city’s south-east ward over the following three decades and was elected lord mayor in 2007.

He and his wife Breda had celebrated 59 years of marriage this month, and he passed away on Monday, a month shy of his 85th birthday.

In his eulogy, Kieran Counihan said his father’s love of politics was “phenomenal”, and he dedicated a large part of his life to public service.

“He always wanted to make the city a better place, and he cared deeply for the community,” he said.

A lifelong member of Blackrock Hurling Club, his family had only learned in recent days that he had played on the first under-16 team to win a city championship.

“Dad also was a trustee of the Ballinlough community centre, he was a founding member of the Canon Horgan youth centre, so he played a big role in the Ballinlough community as well,” Kieran added.

“In everything that Dad did, he took a genuine interest in people, he listened, he cared, and he would always try and help in whatever way he could.”

Over the past few days, he said, hearing messages of gratitude from so many people his father had helped over the years had meant a great deal to the Counihan family.

“God bless, Dad. Thank you for everything, for always being there for all of us,” he said.

Mr Counihan’s sister, Sr Bride, described the gifts brought to the altar for the offertory.

She noted the Rosary beads, which were never far from his hands; the fáinne, representing his love of the Irish language; his pioneer pin; the Cork and Blackrock jerseys, reflecting his love of sport; and the book he was reading when he was hospitalised, Cork and Party Politics in Ireland: 1918 to 1932.

Mr Counihan’s coffin was brought to and from the church draped in the flag of Cork City Council and — as befitted his position as a past lord mayor — escorted by council mace-bearers, a guard of honour of councillors in ceremonial robes, and council staff.

In attendance were the Lord Mayor, councillor Fergal Dennehy, the council chief executive Valerie O’Sullivan, and past lords mayor including Colm Burke TD, John Dennehy, Paud Black, Damian Wallace, Tom O’Driscoll, Mary Shields and John Buttimer.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin — who earlier this week described Mr Counihan as “a wise and valued friend” — was represented by Commandant Joe Glennon.

The chief celebrant was Fr Michael Keohane, with Fr Hugh Harkin SMA and Fr Muiris O’Connor, and they were joined for closing prayers by Bishop Emeritus John Buckley.

Before Mr Counihan’s funeral, the Lord Mayor convened a special meeting of Cork City Council, at which current and former members paid tribute to him.

Among those tributes, Mr Counihan’s former deputy lord mayor, Fianna Fáil councillor Terry Shannon, recalled a visit to City Hall by the late Reverend Ian Paisley during Mr Counihan’s term as first citizen.

There was an unlikely meeting of minds as Mr Counihan gave the Ballymena preacher chapter and verse about Cork’s martyred lord mayors, Tomás MacCurtain and Terence MacSwiney, while Paisley nodded sympathetically over a cup of tea.

Mr Counihan’s old friend and party colleague John Dennehy noted that invitations to former members to pay tribute to departed colleagues were a new development.

“It didn’t happen during my 28 years in here, thank God ye’ve changed that, there’s hope for me yet to get some kind of tribute at the end of the day,” he said, to some laughter.

Mr Dennehy said it was his most difficult task to persuade Mr Counihan to criticise councillors from opposing parties.

“An impossible task. As everybody here would be aware, Donal was a gentleman in every sense of the word,” he said.

He had never heard Mr Counihan speak ill of anyone, he said, “which is a very rare thing in politics”.

“It’s a tough business, and you need to be fairly tough, and I thought Donal mightn’t be tough enough, but in fairness he survived,” he said.

“Donal was a great friend, and I think all of us in politics know much you do need people you can chat to genuinely and honesty.”

After the requiem Mass, and on his way to his final resting place in St Finbarr’s Cemetery, Mr Counihan’s cortege passed by City Hall, where the national flag was flown at half-mast.