Tears for Eddie

Eddie Mullan, a talented journalist and musician, passed away last Monday.

He was 26. There was standing room only in St Patrick's Church in Portrush last Thursday morning as people from all walks of life gathered to pay their last respects to a young man who had touched so many lives.

Fire officers from Coleraine and Portrush formed a guard of honour at the church as Eddie's coffin was carried to the altar, a mark of respect for their esteemed colleague, Eddie Mullan snr and the entire family circle. During funeral Mass, Parish Priest, the Very Rev Rory Sheehan, described Eddie jnr as a "beautiful" and "selfless" human being whose life had been so tragically cut short. He welcomed all the congregation to the service including family and friends and in particular former colleagues of The Coleraine Times and The Chronicle where Eddie formely worked as an enthusiastic and dedicated reporter.

In his opening remarks Fr Sheehan referred to the musical Man of LaMancha and how the dying Don Quixote's love had transformed the life of a worthless creature, Aldonza. Don Quixote had idealised her, calling her Dulcinea, meaning 'sweet one'. Fr Sheehan said that the same had happened Eddie, that he had been transformed in death by Christ's love. He said that Eddie's mother Dorothy and his sisters Michelle, Donna and Tina had all agreed that in recent weeks "he had looked the best he had done for years, he looked peaceful".

Fr Sheehan added: "Such a death is tragic and we should not be afraid to say so out loud but the tragedy is not for Edward, because the pain, the torture, the constraints he felt by living in a small town, the anguish - all that he suffered is gone. Christ's love transformed him."

Fr Sheehan said that love is not always so beautiful in its transformation and that Eddie's family nowhad to cope with tremendous sorrow at losing such a special person. There was gentle laughter in the church as Fr Sheehan recalled howEddie's sister Michelle had said that he always spent a fortune on men's toiletries and that "Boots and Superdrug's profits will certainly drop as a result of his death". namoving tribute, Fr Sheehan described

Eddie as "beautiful" in his capacity to give love selflessly. Edward Mullan was a giving person, giving of his time, his craic, his company, giving of his gifts and

talents and giving financially if he could.

"Eddie was a good musician - he played the piano by ear and that transformed; in church he played the organ and that tranformed; in sharing his experience and giving of his encouragement and support through Weightwatchers he most certainly transformed people, whose outward transformation was matched by an

internal transformation."

Addressing Eddie's parents, Fr Sheehan went on: "So you see Eddie and Dorothy, your son did transform people's lives and that in itself gavemeaning to his own life, as did his writings with The Chronicle and The Times and his music reviews.

"Faith, practised or not, teaches us that through death all is made new. That change is for the better for Edward."

The parish priest said that in dying Eddie would finally be at peace and enjoy serenity. In his closing remarks Fr Sheehan said the family

wished to sincerely thank all those who had offered their condolences and support as well as the medical and ambulance staff of Causeway Hospital for all they had done for their son in his final moments.

Following the service, Eddie was buried at Ballywillan Cemetery. Eddie, from Glenvale Crescent, is survived by his parents Eddie and Dorothy and sisters Michelle, Donna and Tina.