A few years back, when some murdering gangster was given what I’d call an opulent church funeral, I picked up the phone and called a friend of mine, a priest. And I asked him how the clergy felt about giving these guys the sacrament of a church funeral.

“Isn’t God and religion all about peace and love, the very anathema of the lives lived by thugs and drug dealers?”

Call me naive, but I wanted to know why should a gouger be given the exact same church welcome as another respectable, law-abiding citizen? He curtly replied in exasperation that it was up to “the man above” to make judgement. For believers that probably makes perfect sense. Of course, theologically, I know it is not a simple case of the priest making any such determination. Nonetheless, at a practical level, it is hard to stomach, particularly where these guys are eulogised from the altar.

And that brings me onto Fr David Halpin, who went against the grain in delivering his sermon at the funeral of a man who was killed in a shooting in Dublin last week. The deceased, reportedly “known to gardai”, was shot dead in one of those so-called gangland hits. His family chose for him to have a church funeral. And Fr Halpin said at the funeral that the deceased had made “bad, bad decisions in his life”. Even though it wasn’t all that hard hitting, it was more than what we usually hear from priests regarding gangland murder.

He was heckled and some mourners walked out. And while you have to have genuine sympathy for the grieving family, Fr Halpin only echoed what the rest of us were thinking. Yes, it is a subjective opinion and no doubt there will be true believers who argue that it is not his place to make judgement.

I am sure gay people and divorcees get a good laugh out of that, seeing how the hierarchical church is very clear in its judgement of them. But we need more priests like Fr Halpin to show some leadership and be in touch with real life, rather than hide behind doctrine when it suits. CL

Magee star shines on

When I was 16, I was introduced to Jimmy Magee at one of his All Stars gigs in the Hotel Kilmore in Cavan. That was 1989 and he never forgot my name after that. The Memory Man.

He was possibly the first famous person I knew on first-name terms. The fact he was Ireland’s best-know sports broadcaster was all the better.

Nine years after, I joined RTÉ and we were now colleagues. We had some time in Beijing at the 2008 Olympic Games. Him having a full-blown mock conversation with a chaotic Chinese taxi driver (who hadn’t a clue what Jimmy was talking about, but answered him back in Mandarin anyway) and Jimmy asking him all about who he thought would win the Longford senior football championship that year - is a snapshot of time, a car journey I will never ever forget.

When I pulled out a box of Barry’s tea in the RTÉ office, he burst out laughing: “I don’t believe it O’Reilly, you actually brought tea to China.”

I was his producer one Sunday as he presented Sunday Sport and it was an absolute pleasure, an education.

You always wanted a good joke or a bit of scandal to tell when you spotted him walking towards you. Because Jimmy loved a good laugh and his laugh was infectious. He was a rogue and rascal. But he was a most generous and genuine gentleman. I’ll miss him. His velvet voice silenced. Rest in peace James.