The funeral for Michael Gaine, the farmer who was murdered in Kenmare, Co Kerry, will be held this Saturday, June 7.
Gaine's funeral arrangements were announced in a notice on RIP.ie yesterday, Sunday, June 1.
Formerly of Railway Road in Kenmare, Co Kerry, Gaine is predeceased by his parents Jimmy and Sheila, the notice says.
It adds: "Sadly missed and fondly remembered by his heartbroken wife Janice, sisters Noreen and Catherine, nieces Emma and Rachael, nephews Jamie and Mark, brother-in-law Seán, aunt Noreen (Fitzpatrick, Cork), his close friends DJ and Shane and his wide circle of loyal friends in the Farming and Rallying community and beyond, cousins, in-laws and extended family.
“May you rest in peace Michael.”
Reposing will be held at Finnegan's Funeral Home in Kenmare from 2 pm on Friday, June 6, with a rosary at 7 pm.
A Requiem Mass will be held at Holy Cross Church in Kenmare at 10:30 am on Saturday, June 7. The Mass will be livestreamed online here.
"Private Resting Place," the notice says.
The RIP.ie notice adds that donations, if desired, can be made to Kerry Mountain Rescue and Search and Rescue Dog Association (Ireland).
The notice adds: "Michael’s family would like to thank you for your support and understanding at this extremely difficult time."
Michael Gaine. (An Garda Síochána)
The Michael Gaine investigation
Gaine, 56, was last seen in Kenmare town in Co Kerry on Thursday, March 20, and was reported missing the following day.
CCTV footage from March 20 showed him buying phone credit in Centra in Kenmare at 9:48 am. He then left in his bronze-colored RAV4, registration 152 KY 366, which has since been found parked in his farmyard, just off the N71 at Carrig East.
On April 29, Gardaí officially reclassified their missing person investigation to a homicide investigation.
They said at the time that throughout the investigation, they had undertaken over 320 formal jobs/enquiries, taken nearly 130 witness statements, recovered approximately 2,200 hours of CCTV/Dash Cam footage, and conducted extensive searches.
Gardaí added that despite the extensive enquiries carried out until that point, Gaine's remains had not yet been recovered.
The day after Gaine's case was reclassified, his wife Janice and sister Noreen issued an emotional appeal for information.
"We just want Michael to come home," Janice said. "We want to know what happened to him."
On Saturday, May 17, lands at Carrig East in Kenmare - where Gaine's farmyard is located - were declared a crime scene by Gardaí.
Later that day, An Garda Síochána confirmed that "partial human remains" had been found following preliminary examinations at the scene by State Pathologist Dr. Sally Anne Collis and Forensic Anthropologist Laureen Buckley, assisted by the Garda Technical Bureau.
Gardaí said that DNA analysis would be required to carry out formal identification of the recovered human remains.
The following day, Gardaí announced that a man in his 50s had been arrested on suspicion of the murder of Gaine. However, the man was released without charge the following day.
The man has since been named as Michael Kelley, a farmhand and self-described asylum seeker from Maine in the US. Kelley, who had been living on Gaine's land and is most recently residing in Tralee, maintains his innocence.
Gardaí confirmed early last week that the human remains found at farmland at Carrig East in Kenmare were identified as being the remains of Michael Gaine.
Gardaí continue to appeal to the public for assistance in this investigation.
The Garda investigation team can be contacted at Killarney Garda Station on 064 667 1160, the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111, or speak with any member of An Garda Síochána.
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