Tributes were paid to Mary Fehilly (72) as hundreds attended her Requiem Mass at the Holy Cross Church in Charleville, Co Cork.
Mrs Fehilly died last Saturday when she was struck by a car as she stood on the footpath of Charleville’s Main Street chatting to a volunteer who was collecting for the local GAA club.
She was rushed to Cork University Hospital (CUH) but died shortly after arrival.
The man, who was in his 60s and selling GAA lottery tickets outside a local supermarket, was taken to CUH for treatment of severe leg injuries.
The driver of the vehicle involved, a woman in her 80s, was treated for shock at the scene but was otherwise uninjured.
Mrs Fehilly was the beloved wife of George and the mother of Nollaig, Siobhán, Padraig, Maeve and Gearoid.
Her son-in-law was the Clare Fianna Fáil TD Cathal Crowe.
Mrs Fehilly is also survived by her sisters Catherine and Joan as well as her brother, Liam.
She was predeceased by her sister Berna and brother Gerard.
Mr Crowe has suspended canvassing in advance of the upcoming 2024 General Election as he said their entire family was devastated by what had happened.
“Family comes first,” he said.
He said the fabulous lynchpin of their family was Mary Fehilly.
“We are absolutely heartbroken to have tragically lost Mary,” he said.
“She was the most wonderful mother to Maeve and her siblings and an adoring wife to George.”
Mourners were told that Mrs Fehilly, who lived at Holy Cross Place in Charleville, was deeply proud of her community and did everything she could to support it.
Locals described her as “a saint” for the vast amount of community and charitable work she undertook which ranged from volunteering her time to supporting various fundraising drives.
Charleville GAA paid tribute to the entire Fehilly family on the loss of such a remarkable woman.
The GAA club cancelled its weekly lotto draw as a mark of respect.
“Our thoughts and prayers are also with all the other families involved,” a club official said.
Charleville politician Councillor Ian Doyle said she left a huge void in the north Cork community.
“Without question she was a saint. She was so well known for her kindness and charitable work. She was involved with the local church and local charities. She was quiet and unassuming, but she got things done.”
He admitted the entire community was reeling from the tragedy.
“There is a deep sense of shock and sadness in the town and people are shocked by such a freak accident.”
“Everyone is praying that (the injured man) will make a speedy recovery and our thoughts, prayers and condolences are with Mary’s family and many friends. She will be such a loss to the town.”
“Our thoughts also go out to the elderly lady who was driving the car and was involved in what can only be considered as a completely freak accident.”
Locals said traffic through the town – which is known as a bottleneck on the main Cork-Limerick road – was particularly busy on Saturday afternoon given a number of high-profile events in the area.
Gardaí are investigating the circumstances of the collision which has been described as a tragic accident.
Three weeks ago, another pensioner died in a similar freak collision.
Cal O’Keeffe (90) suffered fatal injuries when he courageously pushed a woman out of the path of an oncoming car in the car park of a Fermoy supermarket.
The car was being driven by a man in his 90s who is feared to have suffered a medical emergency.
A former school principal and farmer, Mr O’Keeffe was pronounced dead at the scene.
The woman he tried to save suffered serious injuries and remains in hospital.
