Community rallies to fund funeral
THE spirit of goodwill is alive in the tightknit community of Trim, Co. Meath, where locals have rallied together to raise funds for a dignified send-off to a local woman who died alone.
Margaret ‘Maggie’ Lang, 58, died penniless and without any close relatives in Trim, where she was known as a ‘quiet woman but very kind and loved by all’.
Orphaned as a child and raised by her grandmother in the town, Ms Lang was very involved in volunteering in the community and would often pick up elderly residents’ prescriptions and groceries for them, one local said.
Within a few days of hearing of the death of Ms Lang, Trim locals raised more than €5,500 to go towards her cremation. Trim publican Richard Walsh said the people who donated the most were the ones with the least, adding: ‘I know some people will go without turkey this Christmas so Maggie can be buried with dignity.’
Ms Lang’s remains were found after worried locals noticed they hadn’t seen her around for over a week and called to her home.
Mr Walsh, who is one of many behind the generous local gesture, said: ‘She always volunteered her time as a steward in most of the events in Trim and was a big part of the St Patrick’s Day parade since it started in 1990.
‘We knew we needed to help her repose in Trim, so a meeting was called last Friday night and we began asking for donations. Gardaí tracked down a distant relative in the UK who was happy to release her body into our care and we hope now to bury her on Friday.
‘The local undertaker Declan Rispin has also given his time and facilities for free.
‘We got a price for a funeral for €5,000 including a headstone, and already donations have surpassed that. Any remaining donations will be given to local charities.’
He added that she would have loved to see so many rally around to ensure she got ‘a decent burial in the town she loved’.
‘We knew she was Church of Ireland but she always went to the Catholic Church, so we have got permission to have Mass said for her in the Catholic Church on Friday before bringing her to another service and burial beside her gran in the Church of Ireland.’
AS WE head toward Christmas, the great generosity of the residents of Trim is a heartwarming reminder of the true spirit of the season. To raise more than €5,000 to cover the burial costs of Maggie Lang, their much-loved but impoverished neighbour, was an extraordinary act of kindness. So well done, and a happy Christmas to one and all.