London Irish gather for funeral of Co Kerry man with no known relatives

John Lynch, a native of Co Kerry, died last month in London with no known friends or family

The London Irish community showed up in force the funeral of Co Kerry native John Lynch who had no known relatives.

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John Lynch is understood to have left Ballylongford in Co Kerry nearly 70 years ago as a young child with his family. Despite growing up in England, the proud Irish man never lost touch with his Co Kerry roots.

Lynch died last month in a London care home after suffering from kidney failure. Despite efforts from local authorities, no relatives could be located.

The funeral directors caring for Lynch’s arrangements made an appeal to the Irish community in London for anyone with connections to Co Kerry to attend his funeral.

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Brendan Vaughan, a native of Co Donegal who is a well-known figure in the Irish community in London, spent time visiting Lynch in his final months.

Vaughan told The Irish Times: “Somebody suggested I should phone Radio Kerry, so I did, and the response from the radio station gave it a huge boost. He was a proud Kerry man.”

Having learned of Vaughan's appeal, The Kerry Association of London shared the funeral details of John Lynch on their Facebook page on July 15:

Ahead of the funeral, Vaughan shared this picture he took of Lynch while wearing his prized Co Kerry jersey:

The appeal efforts paid off when approximately 85 people turned up to mourn the loss Lynch at his funeral at the Church of Our Lady of the Visitation in Greenford on July 16.

Dermot O’Grady, who is a member of the Kerry Association in London, told RadioKerry that Lynch’s coffin was draped with the Kerry flag and that there were a number of people in attendance from Co Kerry who were wearing Co Kerry jerseys.

“I’d say there wasn’t a part of the county between one person and another from various areas that didn’t turn up. It is truly an impressive show,” O’Grady said.

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On Facebook, Vaughan thanked those who came out for Lynch’s funeral: