Hundreds of mourners have attended the funeral of Irish Olympic boxer Darren Sutherland.
Olympic athletes Eamonn Coughlan, Michael Carruth, Kenny Egan, champions Jim Rock and Martin Rogan, and Football Association of Ireland chief John Delaney joined friends and family members for Darren's funeral mass at St Mary's Church in Navan, Co Meath - 30 miles north-west of Dublin.
At the funeral service, parish priest Father Declan Hurley said when remembering Darren it was important to focus not just on his sporting successes in the ring, but also on the positive impact on those he encountered throughout his life.
"Words in the face of last weeks tragedy are meaningless. Darren's friends and family may find more comfort in the memory of Darren as a smiling champion with a medal."
"While his sucesses made great demands on Darren, he was always on hand for people who needed him," he added.
Fr Hurley said Darren - nicknamed the dazzler because of his show-grabbing performances in the ring - had earned the admiration of the country when he clinched bronze in Beijing last year.
"Darren was much more than the dazzler who captivated in the ring. He was a loving son, everything an older brother could be, and a good friend," he said.
'Why?'
Touching on the tragic circumstances surrounding his death, Fr Hurley said a terrible darkness had shrouded the Sutherland family.
"Our silence betrays a deep uneasiness as we all ponder the question - why?" Fr Hurley said.
"The question we hesitate to ask out loud because we know it is a terrifying question and we fear that there is no answer."
During the funeral Mass a pair of boxing gloves, a framed photo of Darren, his Olympic tracksuit and his bronze medal were placed by his coffin, draped in a white sheet.
A bouquet of flowers in the shape of boxing gloves sat near the altar, before being placed in the waiting hearse.
The Irish fighter was discovered in his London flat by his manager Frank Maloney.
Darren's trainer Brian Lawrence did not attend the funeral while Frank Maloney was told not travel due to ill health.
Arts minister Martin Cullen was among the mourners, while taoiseach Brian Cowen and president Mary McAleese were represented by their aides-de-camps.
Members of Saint Saviours Boxing club on Dorset Street formed a guard of honour as Darren was brought to his final resting place.
Darren won a bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics as a middleweight before turning professional late last year and joining Maloney's camp.
Darren, who switched fighting weights to be a super-middleweight, won his first four professional bouts and was due to fight again next month.
He lived with Mr Maloney and his family for four months after leaving his home town in County Meath late last year and moving into his own flat in February.
Darren was buried in nearby St Finian's cemetery.
© UTV News