Cobh

<h3>&nbsp;Christy Wall laid to rest on Tuesday 4th of January</h3>
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<h3>Newspaper report </h3>
FORMER Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald were among mourners at the funeral of long-time Fianna Fáil stalwart Chris Wall.
Mr Wall, who died on December 28, was for more than 30 years a key organiser for Mr Ahern in his Dublin Central constituency and helped turn the Drumcondra area into a power base for Fianna Fail.
He also served as a national election strategist and executive committee member for the Fianna Fáil party nationally and was briefly a member of Seanad Éireann in 2007.
Leading the concelebrated requiem mass at St Peter’s Church in Phibsboro, Fr Liam Kelleher noted that Mr Wall has been rightly described as a man whose priorities in life were “his family, athletics and politics”. Fr Kelleher said he was pleased that Mr Ahern had in his tribute “placed athletics before politics.&nbsp;
Fr Kelleher was joined by the Phibsboro parish priest, Fr Eamon Devlin, and in line with Covid-19 restrictions there was a very small attendance of mourners, largely confined to immediate family.
Among them were Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald who is now a TD for the area and Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin Bay South Jim O’Callaghan. Taoiseach Micheál Martin was represented by his aide de camp, Commandant Claire Mortimer.
Mr Wall’s wife, Myra, is currently in hospital and watched the funeral service online, as did mourners all across the country. Fr Kelleher warmly welcomed them to the proceedings.
The Cobh-based priest, who is himself one of Ireland’s best-known athletics organisers, said he had built a 40-year friendship with Mr Wall through the sport. He noted that Mr Wall, as international secretary of Bórd Lúthcleas na hÉireann, for many years helped Irish athletes compete all over the world, and continued his sports service with the Athletics Association of Ireland of which he was honorary life vice-president.
Christy was a man of hard work, very strong in what he wanted to achieve. I was fortunate in that I never got had a run-in with him. But if you had a run-in with him, it was forgotten five minutes later,” Fr Kelleher said.
Fr Kelleher read a short message from the family members. They said they appreciated the warm tributes to the life achievements, but stressed they would remember him chiefly as “an amazing husband and father”.
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Bertie and Mary Lou

Chris Wall laid to rest

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