Former Galway hurler Michael Coleman has been described as a true gentleman and a fantastic role model who inspired awe and admiration in those he met.
The 61-year-old died last week following an accident near his home in Ballyglunin.
His funeral mass took place at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, in Brooklodge.
In his homily, Chief Celebrant Fr Ronnie Boyle said it was impossible to offer answers or explanations in response to the shock that had reverberated around his community, since Mr Coleman's passing.
Fr Boyle said he had never met anyone like him and that a dark shadow had been cast across the entire area by his death.
Mr Coleman was a man of faith and hope, he said, and this might offer some comfort to those mourning his loss.
"That’s what Michael believed, that’s what he lived by," he added.
Detailing the many parish initiatives Mr Coleman had been involved in, Fr Boyle recalled how he had organised for the local church to be painted during the Covid-19 lockdown, "not because he had to do it, but because he wanted to do it and it needed to be done".
Fr Boyle said this typified his approach to life, as a man who would organise and galvanise the community, in the interests of those who lived in the locality.
"He didn’t see problems, he saw opportunities," he said.
Mr Coleman is survived by his wife, Mary, and their children Dara and Sinéad.
