Loyalist murder victim buried in Antrim

The Irish Times—07 July 2001

Loyalist murder victim Ciaran Cummings will never be "a mere statistic" of Northern Ireland's Troubles, mourners at his funeral in Antrim were told today.

The Catholic Bishop of Down and Connor Dr Patrick Walsh told around 250 mourners at a Requiem Mass for Mr Cummings that while his name would probably be forgotten in the coming weeks, his memory would live on among those who knew him.

"For a few days his name has been well known and on the lips of many people but after this weekend his name will soon be forgotten and Ciaran will be another statistic, yet another bare statistic, in the long list of victims of violence," Dr Walsh said.

"But Ciaran will never be forgotten by his family, his family for whom he worked so industriously and it is to you, Ciaran's family, his mother and father, sister and brother, girlfriend and the wider family circle that the sympathy of all of us in this church goes today.

Mr Cummings, 19, was shot dead as he waited for a lift to work on Wednesday in an attack claimed by the Red Hand Defenders.

They said the killing was carried out because of the election of Sinn Féin councillors in the town at the recent local government elections.

The Requiem Mass today at St Joseph's Church was just yards from where Mr Cummings was shot dead at the Greystone roundabout on the outskirts of Antrim.

The funeral cortege paused briefly at the roundabout where flowers, cards and football scarves, flags and jerseys of his favourite team Glasgow Celtic had been placed in his memory.

Among the mourners today were nationalist SDLP Minister in the Stormont Executive Mrs Bríd Rodgers and Sinn Féin MLA Mr Francie Molloy and representative Martin Mr Meehan.

Mr Cummings was buried after Requiem Mass at Belmont Cemetery.