First traditional horse and cart send-off in 70 years in Barna
The end of an era . . . the funeral cortege of family, friends and neighbours of the late Peter Greaney, Lacklea, Barna who died last walked over a mile from the Church of Mary Immaculate Queen, Barna after Requiem mass on Tuesday, to Reilig Bhearna, the old graveyard on Pier Road.
With his brother Eugene and gravedigger Michael Davoren alongside, the coffin with remains of Peter Greaney – a member of one of the original Barna families – was carried in the traditional way to the village, by horse and cart.
According to the family, this is the first time since 1956 that a horse and cart has carried a coffin from Barna church to the graveyard.
With permission from the family, Connacht Tribune photographer Joe O’Shaughnessy captured the sombre mood of Peter Greaney’s final journey.
The procession included a stop-off and minute’s silence at a statue erected at Barna Pier to commemorate two fishermen who drowned over a century ago. This is a shortened preview version of this story. To read the rest of the article, see the October 20 edition of the Connacht Tribune. You can support our journalism and buy a digital edition HERE.