A town and a nation stop in silence to honour a ‘selfless, loyal to the core’ garda who ‘lived his life by the book’
death, lined each side of the churchyard.
There was no music, no talk and no sound.
But within the bounds of the small rural town, there was a force so strong to honour their native son it brought a comforting sense of unity.
As his coffin entered the doors of the church ‘Ave Maria’ echoed around the grounds and up and down the streets.
Two women recognised each other from across the street. They looked like old friends. There was a barrier between them, but they clung to one another and wept.
“The cruelty of it,” one said. “I know, I know, it’s not right. I’m so sorry,” said the other.
When his coffin reached the altar, a picture of Colm taken on the day of his graduation from Templemore was placed on top. He was beaming with pride.
Mourners heard he carried that pride throughout his 24 years of service in An Garda Síochána.
Supt Goretti Sheridan, Colm’s superintendent in Castlerea, broke the suffocating silence. Stepping slowly to the altar, she announced a nationwide minute’s silence to remember Colm and his sacrifice.
Welcoming everyone, chief celebrant of the Mass and Charlestown parish priest Monsignor Tommy Johnston described Colm as someone who was “deeply loved”. He added simply: “Colm Horkan was a man of goodness.”
In his homily, Monsignor Johnston described the collective shock of Colm’s death and explained how he came to hear about the tragedy.
“The gunshots that rang out in the early hours of Thursday morning echoed not just in the town of Castlerea but
right across the country, spreading a story of tragedy and sadness and the loss of life of a detective garda.
“A news reporter on an early morning bulletin said the community of Castlerea is shocked and deeply saddened by this death.
“The name has not yet been released, but we know he was from Mayo, and so another community will be shocked and saddened by this death, and I thought, I pity the priest who has to do that funeral. Little did I think I would be that priest and that the detective garda was Colm,” he said.
He went on to describe Colm as “a man whose voice was gentle and his approach respectful”.
“That gentleness and respect earned the goodwill of so many and endeared him to young and old.
“Service is such an apt word for Colm for he truly was a man of service, dedicated and diligent. Colm loved his life as a guard and gave it his complete commitment.”
Addressing the horrific manner of Colm’s death, Monsignor Johnston acknowledged the many unanswered questions.
“Death brings sadness and grief and loneliness and loss, and it also brings questions; questions that may take us beyond ourselves in our search for answers.
“In the case of Colm, questions have us wonder why did this tragedy happen, why did Colm die, why was this life, which had so much to offer, taken away so soon?
“I cannot answer those questions, but it seems when God takes the young, he takes only the very best.”
Offering his condolences and addressing Colm’s family directly, Garda Commissioner
Drew Harris said: “Colm’s name will live on, and he will be remembered within An Garda Síochána in the years ahead.
“I trust that those of us who continue to serve can honour Colm’s legacy in the manner in which we conduct our duties. In the manner, we protect and serve this society.
“And as Colm did, step forward in the crucial moment and be counted.”
As the Mass drew to a close, Colm’s brother Brendan paid an emotional tribute to his brother.
“We struggle to comprehend the shocking events of Wednesday, June 17, when a man was cut down in the prime of his life doing the job he loved and serving the country in the best way he knew how.
“Colm was a gem. He was a son and brother like no other – a wonderful uncle to
Kealan, Ciara, Oran, Louise, Matthew and Emma.”
His voice breaking, Brendan continued: “He had all the values you would associate with a good and decent human being. He was kind, considerate, selfless and above all, loyal to the core.
“He was a rock in the family, the man that was the glue that held it all together. He seldom if ever made a bad decision and lived his life by the book, which makes it all the more difficult to process the events surrounding that dark and tragic night some four days ago.
“He touched the lives of many in the community of Charlestown and beyond and carried himself with dignity, in and out of uniform.
“As a friend and brother, he had few peers. He loved Charlestown; this was his home where he moulded many great and lasting friendships.
“Colm was a believer in giving 100pc in all he did on the football field, and this was a mantra he brought into work and life in general as these were the values he was instilled and imbued with from an early age.
“And Marty (Colm’s father) and our late mother Dolores and we as his siblings can be proud of the way he went about his business.
“He provided the template about how one should live life and get the most out of each and every day.
“Colm commanded respect wherever he went, time spent in his company was precious, and there was always a laugh and a joke to be had with that disarming, beaming smile of his lighting up a room and brightening up many a dark hour and day. He loved life and lived in the best way he knew how.
“Mine and the family’s emotions are in turmoil at this time as it has become time to bid farewell to a man who has made our lives so much better through his presence and actions.
“He had so much to live for and got such enjoyment out of life that today seems like such a horrible and nonsensical event.”
He said the family’s loss was “most definitely heaven’s gain”.