Police investigating video of gunshots fired over tricolour-clad coffin of Provo-turned-CIRA man Gerard Moyna ahead of west Belfast funeral today

It concerns the funeral of Gerard “Gerry” Moyna, nicknamed Hucker, who was a Provo-turned-dissident republican.

It has been widely reported that he was the gunman that shot dead depraved UVF killer Lenny Murphy in 1982 – something for which he was feted – but that he later drifted into the orbit of INLA splinter group the IPLO, which was hated by the Provisional IRA.

By the late 1990s he was connected to the Continuity IRA, whose members hid him in Donegal after a botched attempt to plant a bomb in Belfast city centre cost him three of his fingers.

More on that here:

Gerard 'Hucker' Moyna: Continuity IRA bomber who lost fingers in botched Belfast city centre bombing dies

He was from Bombay Street in the Clonard area of the Falls Road, a small cul-de-sac on the Shankill peace line containing a large shrine to “republican martyrs”.

He died at his home there on March 23.

A video has circulated online showing three men in masks gathering around his tricolour-draped coffin outside a terraced house, purportedly on the night before the funeral.

While two stand guard, one of them fires into the air.

Asked about this, the PSNI said: “Police are aware of a video circulating online.

“Detectives from the police service’s Serious Crime Branch are investigating, and would urge anyone with information to come forward.”

At Moyna’s funeral in St Paul’s chapel on the Falls Road on Thursday, Father Darren Brennan addressed the congregation.

He gave some remarks based on details provided by Moyna’s family, “to try and capture something of the man Gerard was”.

"It begins with the most important thing of all – he was a loving father,” said the priest, adding that he was also a great-grandfather too.

"He loved and saved many animals in his life,” he added.

“I’ve always felt you can tell something about a person by how they treat God’s wee creatures.”

Moyna was “popular” with the neighbourhood’s cats, and enjoyed singing in the ‘70s and ‘80s, the priest said.

He loved West Ham, the GAA, “and he loved his country,” added the priest.

He then retold the story of the Thief on the Cross, and ended by quoting from a poem by 1916 Easter Rising rebel Joseph Plunkett.

Moyna’s paramilitary connections went unalluded-to in the funeral.