TV star Dec says final farewell to priest brother

TV star Declan ‘Dec’ Donnelly has paid an emotional tribute to his brother, telling mourners his family “can’t believe he’s gone”.
By The Newsroom
Published 30th Jul 2022, 08:35 BST
Updated 30th Jul 2022, 08:35 BST
Declan Donnelly (right) is embraced by his stage partner Ant McPartlin (left) outside St Mary's Cathedral, Newcastle, following a Requiem Mass for his brother Father Dermott Donnelly, who died aged 55 after a sudden illness earlier this month. Picture date: Friday July 29, 2022. Picture: Scott Heppell/PA WireDeclan Donnelly (right) is embraced by his stage partner Ant McPartlin (left) outside St Mary's Cathedral, Newcastle, following a Requiem Mass for his brother Father Dermott Donnelly, who died aged 55 after a sudden illness earlier this month. Picture date: Friday July 29, 2022. Picture: Scott Heppell/PA Wire
Declan Donnelly (right) is embraced by his stage partner Ant McPartlin (left) outside St Mary's Cathedral, Newcastle, following a Requiem Mass for his brother Father Dermott Donnelly, who died aged 55 after a sudden illness earlier this month. Picture date: Friday July 29, 2022. Picture: Scott Heppell/PA Wire

Father Dermott Donnelly, who had recently celebrated 30 years of service in the Catholic church, died in hospital earlier this month after falling seriously ill.

Hundreds gathered at St Mary’s Cathedral in Newcastle, England, for Fr Dermott’s Requiem Mass on Friday, with more than 2,000 watching the service on a livestream.

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Declan helped carry his brother’s coffin into the cathedral, while his friend Ant McPartlin arrived separately.

It was the church where Dec married Ali Astall in 2015, officiated by Fr Dermott.

The pair hugged outside after the service, and there was applause from the mourners as the hearse pulled away.

Fr Dermott, 55, was best known for his work with young people.

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Mourners at his funeral heard he was a “gifted priest” who “dedicated himself every day to the service of others”.

Paying tribute to his brother during the service, Declan fought back tears as he said: “Unfortunately today our world is a slightly worse place because Dermott is no longer with us.

“He still had so much more he wanted to do, so many more lives he needed to change. We can’t believe he’s gone, we still can’t understand why he’s gone – but we trust God took him because his talents were needed elsewhere. We as a family will miss him immeasurably.”

He thanked the congregation for “all the amazing tributes”, saying the family had been “simply overwhelmed”.

He said Fr Dermott had been the middle child of seven, and told how they grew up in a three-bedroom house in Newcastle, with the four boys in one room and the three girls in the other.

Related topics:NewcastleCatholic church