Funeral for nurse Bernie McAndrew who died from Covid-19 held in Belmullet , Co Mayo

Bernie McAndrew and her husband Ian, from Belmullet in Co Mayo, both contracted coronavirus last week.

Mrs McAndrew tragically passed away on Sunday, with a hearse taking her body from the family home just as an ambulance arrived to rush her husband to hospital.

A notice on RIP.ie says she was predeceased by her parents Josie and Bridget Heneghan (née Sweeney) and her brothers Willie Paul, J.T. and Dermot.

Locals in the areas were said to be “stunned” by the death, with Fine Gael councillor Gerry Coyle described her as: “An absolute lady. A friend to everyone.”

He said: “She was a nurse all her life. But she wasn’t just a speaker, but a listener as well.

“She’d never push past people and ignore anybody along her way of life.

“The way it was with Bernie, she’d pull up for a chat. If you were the richest man in the area or the smallest farmer, she’d have the same craic with both. She always shared her time.

“There’s one thing being a nurse and speaking, but she had the ability to listen.

“She had the ability to listen to people and understood their problems as a nurse and as a friend.”

He added: “It was so sad with her friends the last day, looking in the window. It was frightening.”

Bernie’s funeral cortege departed the Sacred Heart Church, Belmullet this morning and paused for a moment’s respect at Ian and Bernie’s home.

The funeral then continued onto Ballina Road/Attycunnane enroute to Geesala where it proceeded to the Heneghan family home before finally arriving at Geesala Cemetery where she was laid to rest.