Wednesday 19 April 2017



‘Father of Travellers’ mourned as TV star’s dad laid to rest

Photos: Yui Mok/PA Wire
A fleet of Rolls Royces, left, outside St Michael’s Church in Ashtead, Surrey, at Simon Doherty’s funeral. Above, floral tributes at the church. Irish dancers, below, perform at the church. Inset, Paddy Doherty.

TRAVELLERS from across Ireland and the UK came together for the funeral of TV personality Paddy Doherty’s father.
Hundreds of mourners joined the ‘Big Fat Gypsy Wedding’ and ‘Big Brother’ star to say goodbye to Simon Doherty, remembered as the “father of all Travellers”.


Friends and family attended a service at St Michael’s Church in Ashtead, Surrey, in the UK yesterday. More than a dozen silver Rolls Royces, each bearing the tricolour, lined up outside the church.
Mr Doherty’s coffin was emblazoned with the colours of the Irish flag and the message: “Simon Doherty – Blacksmith, King of all Doherty’s [sic].”
“He was like mafia in his own way, not in a bad way – any trouble they would go to him,” his son Paddy (58) said.
“He was like the godfather – what he said was law. He said I want no one crying at my funeral, I want them happy, singing and get them drunk.”
He sat with his hand resting on his father’s coffin throughout the service and tributes, which included a group of Irish dancers.
“He wasn’t an average man – he was outstanding, a great man,” he added.
“My poor mother – her heart is devastated, her heart is broken. I’m so grateful how many people have turned out.”


Family members wore red ties, Mr Doherty’s favourite colour, which they threw into his grave at St Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in north London. Floral tributes were laid at the grave in the shape of a shamrock, bottles of whisky, a pint of Guinness and a Rolls Royce.
Mr Doherty, who was in his 80s and known as Simey, and had 15 children and more than 150 grandchildren and great-grandchildren, died in hospital in Epsom last week.

PAT SAYS:

Impressive funeral.

The Travellers know how to splash out in a wedding or a funeral.

I celebrate a few Traveller weddings a month. Some are simple and some are pull the stops out occasions.

When I was a child in the Republic the Traellers were called "tinkers" as they were the ones who mended out pots and pans.

I am all for Travellers rights as an ethnic community BUT rights come with responsibilities - paying tax, obeying the law etc. 

37 comments:

  1. All that money spent for a funeral and it still looks cheap . I prefare the Jewish funeral a plain pine box no flowers no frills . The muslim way is even better , your wrapped up in a sheet and buried on your side facing mecca . But each to their own if it gives them comfort then fare play to them

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    1. Write "..you're wrapped up" as it is short for "you are" and not the ownership "your"

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    2. 08.53 get a life !

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  2. Pat,
    I was surprised you weren't there Pat. Don't you make a fortune from the travellers weddings?
    Gas how nome of them pay a bob in tax!

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  3. Pat I tink you mean tinkers!

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  4. Replies
    1. One of your relations mc?

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    2. Actually, yes: sons of our heavenly Father; brothers in Christ.

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    3. Ah so you are a tinker. Maggie McDonagh

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    4. Yup! JC was a traveller, too.

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    5. So JC was a traveller too Magna know it all? What sort of caravan did he live in then? Did he never pay his taxes and drive around in a Ford Transit and leave tons of rubbish in his wake? Was he partial to getting drunk and going back home to beat his wife? Did he tarmac people's driveways and charge them excessive amounts and was he able to read and write? Did he own horses and go to horse fairs?

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    6. 21:55, you're describing the settled 'middle class', aren't you? You've described it to a tee.

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  5. In the village I live in they regularly, quite illegally,block the by-pass with 3 or 4 4x4s just so that they can race their horse and traps. I don't think I would get away with that.

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  6. As you say Pat. Some travellers tend to do things larger than life. They have found their own way of dealing with law and society. There is good and bad in all areas of society including travellers. The main difference is that travellers tend to be more "in your face". Settled society tends to be more devious and cloak and Dagger when it comes to wrongdoing. As a society too we also tend to look for the bad automatically. A great funeral but.. Notice how many buts follow positive posts on this blog as an example of how we think as a society

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  7. I heard that ordination of deacons by Archbishop D Martin on Tuesday last in Rome was a sight to behold. Gorgeous flanked DM in matching gold vestments watched attentively by Pro silverdaddy Damo. Quite a queens reunion! Photos on Dublin diocese Facebook. What' going on? I wonder where the honeymoon is?

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  8. Better photos of Rome diaconate on Clogher diocese Twitter.

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  9. Its all about culture tribalism its another brand, we usually all like to feel like we belong to something

    Its like the begging Romanians and the Big Issue magazine.
    They want you to buy the magazine but dare you take it off them after oaying for it.
    Yet at the end of the day the fancy car comes along to take them home with a snmile on their faces.

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    Replies
    1. MournemanMichael20 April 2017 at 15:48

      You make an interesting point there Hank about street beggars and cars. I see the same ones in Lisburn, Belfast, Newtownards and Newcastle being dropped off or picked up by 'handlers car' on a regular basis.
      Other than Sally Army I never give to "chunters". My monthly standing order to PLAN relieves my conscience.
      MMM

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  10. The difference between them and you???????????????

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  11. The Dublin Deacon was officiating in Rome with the Archbishop.
    The Irish college in Rome omitted him from its photograph of the day. Why did Fr Hugh Clifford not post the deacon's photograph?
    The Archdiocese of Dublin Showed him from behind only on its facebook page. Why?
    It was the diocese of Clogher who (unwittingly??) showed him in most of its photographs of the day.

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  12. Google appear to have taken posts down about him from the blog etc. So the ordination must be going ahead. He seems to have complained to Google judging by the amount of stories they are holding back and his name is redacted

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  13. Again I say if Ab Martin does not sit down with Deacon Georgeous and make him understand the homily he gave at that ordination in Rome, then Ab martin is nothing but a bullshitter and just expressing words and been a hypocrite and not practicing what he preaches.

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  14. Deacon Sean Mulligan Clogher Ordained in Rome has an impressive CV going off a link on Google. He is a life long member of the Pioneer Association. Some achievement to survive in Rome. I wish him well

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  15. OMG - he is there ??? Whats going on - as proud as punch in it.

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  16. if people do not realize at this stage that DM is more deceptive and cunning than Bertie Ahern and Charlie Haughey together they are pure fools!
    Archb DM is the head queen of the irish homolobby/homomafia who doesn't give a shit about vulnerable young people in the church here. its all empty words with him.
    he has played the media and the laity like a fiddle in making the idle gesture of withdrawing his sems from gaynooth in order to send em to a gay paradiso in roma!
    some people have said here before that the church is heading for non existence, they are right!
    it is gas that the AB sends fellas for sex addiction classes when one thinks of all the good lads who wanted to remain pure and celibate have been kicked out of irish seminaries.
    strange times indeed and the end of catholicism as a serious religion in ireland.

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    1. This, in my opinion, is one of the more intelligent and insightful posts I've read on this blog today.

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    2. When were you removed from Maynooth?

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    3. If you follow this blog, then you should be able to answer your own question.

      If you follow this blog and can't answer your own question, then I suggest, kindly, that you consult your family doctor about short-term memory loss.

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  17. 20.44
    Could not have stated it better. Im from Armagh and they are all up each others asses......literally!

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  18. What I notice about the pictures of the ordination is the dalmatics put on the new deacons. I genuinely hoped never to see those strange flaps instead of sleeves - it speaks of a baroque level of corruption in vestments. The camp (interpret camp as you will) who like those are the queeny lacey dressing up brigade. I'm surprised His Grace didn't put on a fiddleback and go for the whole EcĂ´ne look!

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    Replies
    1. The entire Roman Catholic clergy are corrupted...by self-absorption.

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  19. There was a guy in Maynooth in the 1980s who fits your description. His initials were P.A. Are you he?

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    Replies
    1. You referring to me? Yes, my initials are P.A.: Personal Assistant.

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  20. 11.39 - Yes you are correct thats the bugger

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    1. It isn't, you know. But what the heck! Some of you people probably still believe in crocks of gold at rainbows' end.

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  21. I don't know why you react to theses trolls, Magna.
    Strange how they can answer and reply next to your post and my posts never appear as soon even though I click the reply button
    Methinks Pat has ways and means of keeping your trolls exactly after u post
    But doesn't for other replys

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