‘You will be greatly missed by all. Goodbye Tony, brother, husband, father, son and hero’
TONY Golden was idolised by his younger brother Patrick, who always looked up to him and felt safe in his company, mourners heard yesterday.
The garda lost his life in an attempt to protect other individuals and this cost him dearly, said Patrick.
Patrick said he was almost speechless when thinking about what he would say about his brother.
‘Some words immediately come to mind: such as hero, gentle giant, family man, caring, rock and idol.
‘But these words can not explain how good the man was and how much we all loved him.’
In an emotional tribute, Patrick choked back tears as he recalled the pair as children growing up together.
‘As a child growing up I always looked up to Tony in every way. He helped me feel so secure and pro- tected. He always looked out for me and ensured I was never led astray. He’d go out of his way to ensure that I was always safe.
‘This was Tony’s nature as he treated all his family and friends in the same way.
‘Tony has made [his wife] Nicola and his children feel the same way over the last nine years. The same applies to the communities in which he has been stationed as a garda. This has been shown by Tony bravery last Sunday evening. He lost his life in an attempt to protect to other individuals and this has cost him dearly.
‘Eight years ago Tony made me so proud when he asked me to be his best man.
‘Little did I think that such a short time later I would be speaking at his funeral.
‘But today I am still so proud to
stand here and call him my big brother.’
Patrick told mourners: ‘Tony was a great family man and father, he adored Nicola and his children. He cared for Lucy, Alex and Andrew in such a loving way, just as he was reared by our mum and dad. The qualities Tony possessed were nurtured in our family home.’
Patrick said he wanted to thank ‘the entire Garda family’, relatives, friends, the clergy and the community for their support. He also paid tribute to a friend and colleague, who had the difficult task of calling to Tony’s family home on the night of his death.
Patrick said: ‘Tony, you’ll be greatly missed by all. You will never be forgotten. Goodbye Anthony, my brother, husband, father, son and hero.’