Bobby Storey funeral: Actions of politicians ‘could make our job as undertakers harder’

Stephen McCosh, who runs his eponymous funeral firm in Belfast and Newtownabbey, said the sheer number of “feet on the street” in west Belfast will have “shocked” some.

However, he was clear that the fault did not lie with the funeral directors.

Rather, he said the focus should fall upon the politicians involved.

A member of the eight-strong executive committee of the National Association of Funeral Directors, Mr McCosh said: “Everyone has the right to a dignified funeral, irrespective of what their past may be.

“From the professional side of things, the guys who carried out the funeral, I don’t think they did any wrong.

“Their job is to look after the family; a family in grief, a family in mourning, and they did that whatever way the family asked.

“The feet on the street, it’s a completely different issue. I suppose it comes down to a personal choice of who wanted to be there.”

A number of people have voiced worries that the sight of so many people at a funeral – including Michelle O’Neill – could cause the general public to abandon any efforts at keeping to lockdown rules.

Mr McCosh said there may be a “backlash” as result of the event, saying: “Families listened to what we’re telling them [about the restrictions on numbers].

“But whenever political representatives completely go against everything they’ve asked everyone to adhere to, it’s going to make our lives very difficult.

“I think it’s going to make our job very difficult if we were to turn round and tell anyone now they need to maintain social distance.”

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