The late Carmel Tynan

THE Portarlington community turned out to pay their last respects to Carmel Tynan last Sunday.

Large crowds attended funeral mass in St Michael’s Church at noon on Sunday. Carmel, 54, was discovered at her home in Patrick’s Avenue on Thursday evening after she was last seen on Sunday afternoon. Carmel is survived by her husband Tom and daughters Therese, Laura and Kate, brother Brian and extended family.

Tom, Therese, Laura and Kate all spoke at the funeral. Requiem mass was concelebrated by Fr Thomas Dooley and Fr Michael Noonan. Fr Noonan expressed the Tynan family’s gratitude to the hundreds of people who took part in the search of Carmel over the course of the week. At one stage there were over 300 people involved including members of Civil Defence and an Garda Síochána. A helicopter from the Garda Air Support Unit along with eight man boat unit and dog unit from the Civil Defence took part in the search.

Fr Noonan spoke poignantly of the pleasure he had in marrying Tom and Carmel 31 years ago as well as their daughter Laura and her husband just two months ago. He had not fathomed they would meet again in such circumstances. Carmel had worked previously at Mullaney’s Pharmacy before being employed as a family support worker in the HSE. Carmel was given a guard of honour by HSE co-workers and was laid to rest in the adjoining cemetery. Family friend of the Tynans, Willie Murphy said: “The Tynan family are very, very popular in Portarlington and the turnout is the recognition of the high esteem Carmel, Tom and the girls are held in.”