Mourners attending the funeral Mass of livestock farmer Michael “Mike” Gaine, whose death is now the subject of a murder inquiry, heard that this was a “day for recovering his dignity”.
Addressing the packed congregation at Holy Cross Church, Kenmare, Co Kerry, on Saturday morning, parish priest Fr George Hayes contrasted the captivating beauty of Kenmare with the events surrounding Mr Gaine’s disappearance from his remote farm near the town 11 weeks ago and the subsequent Garda launch of a murder investigation.
“Into this, our peaceful, idyllic, sylvan existence, something terrible has come ... Over these weeks, since Michael went missing, we have asked so many questions – and, in life, sometimes, there are no answers,” he said.
“But in the best traditions of Irish funerals, today is a day for recovering the dignity of Michael Gaine ... and it is in the dignity of Michael’s life and not the manner of Michael’s death, that will abide in our hearts.”
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Speaking on behalf of the family, Mr Gaine’s cousin Eoghan Clarke told the story of a generous, big-hearted man with many interests who loved life and “never had an evil bone in his body”.
“Whether you met him during lambing or while on a trip away to a car show or rally event, he always had the iconic twinkle in his eye ... the ‘I’m delighted to see you’, ‘I’m in great form’, ‘let’s go and enjoy ourselves’ glint in his eye,” Mr Clarke said.
Describing his cousin as a “a proud Kerryman, and an even prouder Kenmare man”, he added Mr Gaine “had time for everyone and would chip in to help any time and any place”.
Mourners were also told of how Mr Gaine met his wife Janice one New Year’s Eve. Mr Clarke said Janice had travelled from Jakarta to visit her parents in Kerry for Christmas when a young Mike, looking dapper in his dress suit, plucked up the courage to speak to her at the bar.
“Michael explained that he was heading to Australia soon and in the days before Google and smartphones, Michael explained to Janice that Garuda airlines – Indonesia’s national airline – seemed to offer the best value. Janice, presumably intrigued by Michael’s extensive knowledge of flight routes to and from Australia, agreed to Michael’s invitation to dinner before she then returned to Indonesia in the new year.
“For the next few years, Michael kept Telecom Éireann in business, feeding coins into one of the payphones in Kenmare to speak to Janice in Indonesia and then Taiwan, where he came to visit her. The rest is history.”
Mr Gaine was not afraid to show his emotions and was “soft and loving, caring and affectionate, kind and considerate”, Mr Clarke added.
Family and friends presented pictures at the altar symbolising his various passions, including farming, car and motorbike racing, current affairs, cookery, extensive world travel, and music, with special fondness for the The Mamas & the Papas and Fleetwood Mac.
On April 29th, almost six weeks since he was first reported missing on March 21st, gardaí confirmed that human remains found in a shed and in fields on his rugged 1,000-acre hill farm were those of Mr Gaine. On Friday, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris took the unusual step of subjecting the case to peer review.
“I think there’s learning for us around those who commit crime and then attempt to dispose of the body and often are successful in disposing of the body,” he said.
As the funeral progressed, a solitary Garda jeep stood sentry at the entrance of the farm at Carrig East, 6km from Kenmare near Moll’s Gap, which remains sealed off as a crime scene.
On May 18th, gardaí arrested and released without charge a former US soldier, Michael Kelley (53) who lived on Mr Gaine’s farm and now resides in Tralee. He denies any involvement in Mr Gaine’s death.
[ Who is Michael Kelley, the man questioned over the murder of Michael Gaine?Opens in new window ]
Mr Gaine’s ashes left the church in an urn wrapped symbolically in red-dyed sheep’s wool accompanied by a guard of honour from rally enthusiasts to a stirring rendition of Mo Ghile Mear. It completed a final lap of honour around the town and past his home on Railway Road in his white Ford Escort II rally car, which had been restored for the occasion by friends in the Killarney Motor and District Club.
His close friend Brian Hickey told Radio Kerry that it was “the most fitting tribute any of us could come up with for him”.
Michael Gaine is survived by his wife Janice, sisters Noreen and Catherine, nieces Emma and Rachel, nephews Jamie and Mark and brother-in-law Seán O’Regan. His final resting place is private at the request of the family.
