Bishop Brian Hannon was a sincere man of faith who lived every day the faith he preached, mourners were told at his funeral in St. Macartin’s Cathedral, Enniskillen today (Thursday).
The Right Revd The Lord Eames OM, former Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, in his address at the funeral service, said: “He cared for the people of Clogher Diocese as though they were parishioners of a large parish - he knew them as individuals, he knew their problems and through the darkness of the Troubles he carried their pain on his heart.
“I will long remember him moving among the beds of Enniskillen hospital on the day of the Enniskillen bomb as together he and I sought to bring some comfort to those in such tragic circumstances.
“The prayers of us all reach out to Maeve and his sons Desmond, Brendan and Neil in their sorrow and loss.”
The Rt Revd the Lord Eames OM delivering the sermon at the funeral service of The Right Revd Brian Hannon, former Bishop of Clogher Picture by John McVitty
Bishop Hannon’s son Desmond led a family tribute following Lord Eames address:
“My father was indivisible in family and in faith."
On behalf of his family, he thanked all of the people who are “here at this strange and awful time”.
“To have so many people here together is just wonderful for us at a very difficult time," he said.
Thanking the staff at the Graan Abbey Care Home who cared for his father in his final years, Desmond said: "We must say thank you to the people who staff the Graan. To very near the end, dad could still produce a twinkle.
“He could still smile at you, hold your hand. The way that he was treated there helped him to be the best he could be in the last few years of his life and for that we are eternally grateful."
Desmond went on to describe his father as a "vigorous man", with many talents, he was an athlete, a musician, and academically gifted, among many other attributes.
Paying tribute, he said: "He was charming and spectacularly good looking.
"Life gave him every opportunity to make a mint, to marry an heiress, potentially be a snob or elitist, and selfish with it possibly.
"He chose the church and then he chose inner city Derry.
He chose to be kind, he chose to be humble and he chose to make people’s lives better, often in very practical ways," said Desmond.
Speaking on his parents' marriage, he said: "His own life got better when he met the right woman. Mum was his equal in good looks.
"Mum filled in the blanks for him as he did for her. They fit together like jigsaw pieces."
Concluding his tribute, Desmond said: "We are here as a family to remember a brilliant, gentle, humble man.
"Our dad, mum's husband, we loved him very, very much," said Desmond, his voice breaking with emotion.
"For now we are destroyed but we are also very, very thankful."
As he walked back to his seat, he affectionately touched his father's wicker coffin.
Desmond Hannon delivering a family tribute at the funeral of The Right Revd Brian Hannon, former Bishop of Clogher Picture by John McVitty
Attendees at the funeral included, The Viscount Brookeborough, Lord-Lieutenant of County Fermanagh, Lord Anthony Hamilton, Fermanagh South Tyrone MLA Deborah Erskine, members of the Clogher Diocese Clergy, St. Macartin’s parishioners and parishioners of the wider Clogher Diocese.
The service which had restricted numbers of people attending due to social distancing regulations, was livestreamed on the Enniskillen Cathedral website; www.enniskillencathedral.com and will be available to view afterwards.
The Dean of Clogher, the Very Revd Kenneth Hall, welcomed everyone to the funeral service which was led by Archdeacon Brian Harper, rector of Magheracross Parish (Ballinamallard).
He was assisted by the Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, the Most Revd John McDowell; the Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Revd Dr. Michael Jackson and the Bishop of Clogher, the Right Revd Dr. Ian Ellis.
The Old Testament Reading from Psalm 121 was read by Michael Hannon, a brother of Bishop Hannon and the New Testament Reading from 1 Corinthians 13; 1-13 was read by Di Neil Hannon, a son of Bishop Hannon.
Neil Hannon reading the New Testement reading at the funeral of his father, The Right Revd Brian Hannon, former Bishop of Clogher Picture by John McVitty
The hymns included; ‘Dear Lord and Father of mankind’, ‘St Patrick’s Breastplate’, ‘It were my soul’s desire,’ and the 23rd Psalm. The organist was Mr. Glenn Moore.
Following the funeral service, a private family burial took place in Craghan Cemetery, Ballinamallard. Funeral arrangements were carried out by Marcus Madill Funeral Director.
Bishop Hannon died on Monday morning and is survived by his wife Maeve and sons, Desmond, Brendan and Neil, and brothers David and Michael.
Picture by John McVitty
Picture by John McVitty
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