‘Mum went to her grave alone on day of Storey crowds’
Mark Baintalks to a woman whose mum was buried alone on same day as Bobby Storey
AT 11.15am on Tuesday, a funeral was taking place. Mum of two Evelyn Mcmullen was taken from Bobby Morrison’s Funeral Home in Lisburn to Roselawn Cemetery where she made her final journey alone, where Covid-19 restrictions denied family and friends access to witness her final moments.
At exactly the same time in west Belfast thousands lined the streets, joined by the Sinn Fein leadership, as another funeral took place.
The remains of Bobby Storey, former IRA intelligence officer, convicted terrorist, Maze prison escapee and leading republican, were carried from his home surrounded by family, friends, supporters and comrades.
Deputy First Minister Michelle O’neill, Finance Minister Conor Murphy, Sinn Fein president Mary Lou Mcdonald, MLA Martina Anderson and Gerry
Adams, none of whom are related to Mr Storey, walked behind his coffin.
As yet there has been no apology for the scenes, the lack of social distancing, the ignorance of their own guidelines set out to protect the community from Covid-19.
Instead there has been defiance and insistence nothing wrong had been done.
Yesterday, Sinn Fein remained adamant that Mr Storey’s funeral was carried out to the wishes of his grieving family.
Another grieving family were left wishing for so much more.
Across Northern Ireland, for more than three months, grieving relatives have obeyed by the restrictions
Comfort in grief was nowhere to be found for Lynn Paul as her family was saying a solitary farewell to a mother, locked out at the gates of Roselawn as, a few miles away, the crowds gathered at the cemetery for Mr Storey.
Lynn has been working on the front line of the battle against coronavirus, a staff nurse with the NHS. She has seen the damage caused to fam
❝ She’s not even a family member. What made my mother less deserving of a proper funeral?
ilies these past three months. And the Lisburn woman, now living in Belfast, had nursed her mum in her final days, taking care of her in her home until her death from lung cancer on June 25.
She said the scenes from the funeral of Mr Storey earlier this week have left her “devastated beyond words” and her family will be “psychologically distressed for a long time to come”.
“When mum died last Thursday, June 25 we weren’t allowed to bring her body home to her house,” she said. There has been no three day wake for Evelyn.
“She was kept in the funeral home, away from her family, until Tuesday when we had a small 10 minute service attended by only 10 people as advised, before she was taken to Roselawn for cremation.
“I am a nurse and nursed my mum with the help of my brother Neville at home for weeks before she died of lung cancer.
“She did not have, nor never had, Covid-19. Her grandchildren, who live all in the same house, were not allowed to carry her coffin while on Tuesday we saw the coffin of Mr Storey carried in public view in front of hundreds of people.
“We followed the hearse to Roselawn and the gates were open to let only the hearse in. We had to watch as my mother’s coffin was driven up to the crematorium without us. We knew we had been told to remain standing at the gates.
“It was heartbreaking.
“As a family, we feel we have not been able to give my mum the send off she deserved.”
Lynn said her grief at saying such a sad and lonely farewell to her mum was then compounded by scenes from the funeral of Mr Storey that evening.
For Lynn there was no three day wake for her mother to share memories of her life with those who knew and loved her.
“Then I saw the funeral of Bobby Storey attended by masses of people, so many more than the advised 30 people and even less social distancing being adhered to,” she said.
“Next Michelle O’neill was being photographed in a selfie type picture, smiling with two others.
“She has undermined what she has been telling everyone else to do.
“She has flouted the rules she set herself and done the exact opposite from what she expected the rest of us to do, what the rest of us have done. My family and I followed the strict instructions laid out for attending funerals and are devastated beyond words today. This will leave us psychologically distressed for a long time.
“She got her farewell, and she’s not even a family member. What made my mother less deserving of a proper funeral?
“She deserved the best and we are so proud of her and how she battled bravely despite being so, so sick.
“She was such a strong woman and raised us for a long time on her own after losing her husband at a very young age.
“As a family, we feel devastated and let down by our so called leader in government. It’s made worse still by her showing no remorse for her actions.
“Yes, there have been new restrictions drawn up but these were not in place for Tuesday, no matter who you are.”