Garda quard of honour for boat tragedy Deirdre

Funeral remembers ‘lively, vivacious & friendly’ officer

- CILLIAN SHERLOCK

THE funeral for a member of An Garda Siochana who died in a boat fire has heard she was "the life and soul of the party".

Detective Deirdre "Dee" Finn died while off-duty in Carrick-onShannon, Co Leitrim, in the early hours of Monday.

A guard of honour lined the roadside as a funeral procession carried her coffin into St John The Evangelist church in Ballinteer, Dublin, yesterday.

Her brother Cormac described the "shock, disbelief, denial, numbness, devastation, and heartbreak" following her death.

He said: "Dee was an amazing person. Friendly, kind, welcoming - loved having the craic.

"She was a happy person, loved a good laugh and always had a smile.

COLLEAGUES

Thanking her colleagues for their support, Cormac added: "There is no doubt about it, this has been the toughest week of our lives.