Mourners asked to pray for Doctor accused of mothers murder

By Deborah McAleese

A priest has said prayers for a Belfast doctor who is accused of murdering his mother, during her funeral Mass.

Father Feargal McGrady told mourners at the funeral of Anne O'Neill, 51, on Tuesday that her death was a "double tragedy" and prayed "in a special way" for her son Declan, who is charged with her murder.

Ms O'Neill, a mother of two, died on Saturday October 22, following an alleged attack at her parents' house in Ardmore Avenue, Finaghy, in the early hours of the morning.

She was discovered in the back garden with injuries.

Emergency crews tried to resuscitate her but were unable to save her and she died at the scene.

Declan O'Neill, 27, of Malone Avenue, was remanded in custody charged with her murder.

The doctor, who denies the charge, had been working as a locum at Belfast Trust hospitals.

He did not seek bail when he was charged with murder.

Family and friends of Ms O'Neill gathered for Requiem Mass in St Anne's Church at Kingsway, Finaghy, on Tuesday morning.

In his homily Fr McGrady, the parish priest, told mourners: "As this is a double tragedy, we pray in a special way for Declan this morning."

He said that everyone's "hearts are breaking" for Ms O'Neill's elderly parents Claire and George and all the family.

"It just seems too much. Too much also for Anne's daughter Claire-Anne who is at the cliff-face of this double tragedy," he said.

"I wish we could change it, Claire-Anne, but we all need to help you live for the future.

"We are all to some extent held captive in this world, imprisoned - we've made bad choices or made mistakes, or sometimes we are victims of circumstance, life seems to have thrown us a raw deal.

The funeral of murder victim Anne O’Neill is about to get underway in Finaghy pic.twitter.com/2oR5iHEk2e

— Hannah Spratt (@Radio_Han) October 31, 2017

"Each of us struggles with the things that hold us captive ... We now need courage to let go of all the hindsight and the 'if onlys'.

"Life is a mystery, it remains a mystery. It's not so important to know all the whys. But it is important that we learn to accept it and all the unanswered questions.

"We cannot change the past, but we can live for the future."

Ms O'Neill is survived by her parents, her children Claire-Anne and Declan, their father Kevin, her brothers Gerard and Paul and wider family circle.