THE BODY of Michaela McAreavey will be laid to rest in Co Tyrone today, following a funeral service in the church she was married in less than three weeks ago.
McAreavey – the only daughter of Tyrone football manager Mickey Harte and his wife Marian – will be buried following a funeral service at St Malachy’s Church near Ballymacilroy, where she was married on December 30.
The funeral service will be presided over by the Bishop of Dromore, Dr John McAreavey, the uncle of Michaela’s widower John – who had presided over their marriage last month.
The service will be attended by President Mary McAleese and her husband Martin, and the Taoiseach’s aide-de-camp, Commandant Michael Treacy.
Among others in attendance will be Tyrone football captain Brian Dooher, who will read the first reading, Northern Ireland’s First Minister Peter Robinson, and former Mayo football manager John O’Mahony, who will represent Fine Gael.
The Catholic primate of All-Ireland, Seán Brady, will also be present. Players from the Tyrone and Errigal Ciaran teams will form a guard of honour as McAreavey’s remains are carried from her home; John McAreavey’s clubmates from Tullylish, and some of Michaela’s pupils from St Patrick’s Academy in Dungannon, will form a guard of honour as her body is brought to the church.
Michaela was waked in her wedding dress at her family home in Ballygawley over the weekend, as thousands travelled to pay their respects to the late Irish teacher.
Live audio coverage of the funeral will be carried on RTÉ’s website; it is understood that the Harte and McAreavey families had asked that television cameras not be allowed inside the church.
This morning police officers in Mauritius refused to comment on newspaper reports that the three men charged with McAreavey’s death may not face murder charges.
Today’s Irish News reports that the Mauritian department of public prosecutions was likely to accept a charge of unlawful killing, and quoted a senior police officer who said the matter was “out of our hands”.
When TheJournal.ie called for further details, however, police spokespersons declined to comment.
Mauritius’s L’Express newspaper reports that the lawyers of Abinash Treebhoowoon (28), one of the three men facing charges in connection with her death, was yesterday denied access to his lawyers ahead of further court proceedings this Wednesday.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say