AS SHANE O’Brien’s body made its way to Lakelands Crematorium in Cavan on Sunday, draped in the flag of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), people lined the roads at Belleek, Garrison, Belcoo and Arney to pay their respects to a man who achieved so much in his 35 years, and touched the hearts and lives of many.

At the celebration of his life, family, friends and colleagues spoke of the cherished memories they would always have of Shane.

As tributes were read, pictures of Shane played on a tv screen while some of his favourite songs, including Piano Man, by Billy Joel, and Song for Ireland, by Luke Kelly, were played.

A tribute from his colleagues in South Africa was read out by his uncle, Conor Smith Snr., describing the impact he had in his short time in the country: “The impact he made on the colleagues in South Africa and the region, and on improving the lives of refugees in this brief time, we can only grasp at what opportunities we have lost.”

‘The kindest man’

His cousin, Conor Smith Jnr., said: “Shane was the kindest man you could ever meet. There were no airs or graces with him. It didn’t matter to him if you were a king or a peasant, you’d be treated the same way, no matter what.”

Every speaker and tribute read out for Shane spoke of the unbreakable bond between himself and his parents, Tommy and Siobhan, or the “three musketeers”, as Shane called them.

No matter where he went in the world, people knew of his parents, and how much he loved them.

“As I said, family was huge for our Shane. The bond with Tommy and Siobhan is one I have never seen before, and will never see again in my lifetime.

“His happiest times were sitting in the kitchen with them; no TV, just talking and catching up. Nothing meant more to him,” said Conor.

“Covid being the scourge of the earth turned out be a blessing in disguise. He got to come home and spend time with his family.

“[He was] out every day doing projects with Tommy in the garden and helping Siobhan. It was a blessing that we didn’t realise at the time.”

In his tribute to Shane, UNHCR colleague and friend, Mohammed Anini, wrote: “Siobhan and Tommy were without a doubt the centre of his world. We could see the love and respect in his eyes when he spoke about them. ‘We are the three musketeers,’ he always said.”

Shane’s love of poetry was an ever present topic in many of the tributes read on the day, as friends recalled his love of Seamus Heaney, Oscar Wilde or W. B. Yeats, and how he would burst into spontaneous verse.

“Shane had a literary word for all occasions, whether it be Yeats or Heaney. If the sun was setting you’d soon be hearing deep, dulcet tones out of nowhere,” said his UNHCR colleague and friend, Andrew Hopkins, in his tribute that was also read out at the funeral.

Brightness

What shone through with every word that was read about Shane, through the tears and laughter of those present for his final goodbye, and most likely by those who watched from all over the world on webcam, was the brightness he brought to other people’s lives.

Whether in his work with refugees in countries all over the world and trying to give them a better life, to spending time with his friends in Fermanagh, Jordan and Copenhagen, wherever Shane was, the world was a little brighter.

“Looking at all the messages you have received over the past few weeks, it makes me really happy knowing so many people have experienced the same joy Shane’s company brings that I did through all the years, and makes me really proud that I could call him a best friend,” said Paul O’Brien.

‘Protected’

“Shane believed in the humanitarian cause, and gave tirelessly. He protected the vulnerable, comforted the weak, helped the elderly and ensured the safety of the ones at risk.

“Shane did all that whilst spreading joy wherever he went with a smile on his face, a good sense of humour and a heart full of love,” said another UNHCR friend, Shadi Methawi.

Craig Brown, who met Shane while studying at Oxford University, remembered the first time they met in Lyon, France in 2005 and said: His friendship has certainly changed the course of my life for the better since then.”

Ciaran Smith, Shane’s cousin, described him as a brother and as the “one who gives you advice – not to show you how wise and intelligent he is, but to point you in the right direction, for your sake”.

He finished his tribute by saying: “Of all the teams that Shane represented and played for over his short but jam-packed life, nothing came close to the unity and strength of ‘Team O’Brien’.

“Shane always said Siobhan, Tommy and himself were a team; the three musketeers.

“On December 7, 2020, Team O’Brien lost one of its most valuable players, but Siobhan and Tommy, I’m here for you, we are all here for you, and we always will be.”

Siobhan, Shane’s mother, brought the celebration of her son’s life to a close by reading from his and her favourite poet, Seamus Heaney, reading his poem, ‘Digging’, before adding: “I just wanted to say, to misquote, that this is our beloved son, in who we are well pleased.”

Shane O’Brien, adored and only son of his heartbroken parents, Tommy and Siobhan, and fondly remembered by his uncles, aunts, cousins and all his many friends and colleagues at home and throughout the world, was cremated on Sunday, December 20.