OVER 200 PEOPLE attended the funeral of US woman Jamey Carney in St Mary’s Cathedral just outside the centre of Killarney, the town that had become her home. 

Carney’s life was taken from her at the age of 43, when she was murdered in her own home on the Muckross Road. Her body was found on Tuesday 7 July by first responders. 

The investigation into her death was soon after declared a murder case, and it has since emerged that the chief suspect – 28-year-old Jordanian national Ahmad Al-Saqar, her former boyfriend – fled Ireland before the discovery of her body. He has since been detained by Jordanian security forces in his home country. 

In his homily today, Father Kieran O’Brien briefly addressed the tragic and horrifying circumstances of the mum-of-one’s death. 

“Surely our home place, which is our sanctuary, is a place where we can feel safe,” he said. 

However, the service itself focused on Carney’s personality, her life, the impact she had on her loved ones, and the grief of her mother Kathy Fox-Bennett, her sister Devon Bennett, and her 13-year-old daughter. 

Carney was a New Yorker, and made the move to Ireland with her daughter five years ago. Her mother and sister travelled to Ireland to be with her daughter the day after news of her death reached them. 

Fr O’Brien said that Carney has been described by her loved ones as “bright, cheerful, full of life” and a “kind person” who was “selfless” in life. 

“Small things were big things, joy radiated from Jamey,” he added. 

The priest said that Carney had a close circle of friends who matched her sense of adventure, her love for country music, and her love of “coffee, shopping and lunch appointments”. 

He said that her “real love” in life was her daughter, who adapted to life in Ireland quickly and joined local sports clubs. 

“Five years ago a big decision to move from New York to Ireland was regarded as her best decision. She had heard so much of her Irish roots,” Fr O’Brien said. 

He added that her family was pleased that she’d found a place that felt like home, adding that even the housing estate she and her daughter lived in was called “homeland”. 

The sun was beating down in Killarney as Carney’s friends and family oversaw the removal of her coffin from the cathedral. They placed many sunflowers on top of the coffin, and in the hearse beside it – as the funeral congregation had heard that it was “her flower”.

Her daughter’s gaelic football and rowing club teammates formed a guard of honour outside the cathedral after the mass. 

In Killarney town itself, the summer is in swing, with American tourists sat out the front of bars, and buskers serenading them on the streets. 

A barista, in a café near the cathedral, who was closing up while the funeral took place said that though things appear the same on the surface – like any other summer in the tourist town – in reality, the shared mood is mournful. 

“Jamey was well known, and well-liked, so it’s really affected a lot of people. On top of that, for this to happen to a woman in her own home, it’s just so sad, and worrying,” she said. 

In Killarney Garda Station, gardaí led by a senior investigating officer continue to probe her murder. 

Gardaí have been in contact with Europol, Interpol and US authorities in relation to the case. 

A file is to be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions, who will decide if anyone is to be charged in connection with the murder. 

There is no extradition agreement between Jordan and Ireland, and a person can only be extradited back to Ireland to face charges in court.