By Maeve Connolly, Irish News, 26.11.2003
IT will take "many floods of water to wash away the stain and the shame'' of the sectarian murder of a Catholic man on the banks of the River Lagan, mourners heard yesterday.
Parish priest Fr Sean Rogan and Auxiliary Bishop of Down and Connor Anthony Farquhar concelebrated Requiem Mass for 21-year-old James McMahon who was attacked by a loyalist gang last week.
Mourners, the majority of whom were young people, who filled St Patrick's Church in Lisburn were told that the community had been "robbed'' of one of its youngest members.
The eldest of five children, James McMahon was set upon by a masked gang armed with baseball bats as he walked home with friends along Hancock Street on Thursday November 20.
He died in hospital the following afternoon and was the first Catholic to be killed by loyalists in more than a year.
As family and friends carried the 21-year-old's coffin through Lisburn yesterday they paused for a moment close to the spot where he was attacked.
Fr Rogan told the congregation, which included senior police officers, the murder victim's mother had requested that his organs be donated.
"What a contrast. This woman interested in giving life - so starkly opposite to the actions of those masked individuals who were dealing in death. Deirdre we salute you for your bravery, for your thoughtfulness, for your generosity. You are an example to us all.''
The parish priest said all humans were "made in the image and likeness of God'' and therefore everyone had a responsibility to respect and protect the sacredness of life.
Bishop Anthony Farquhar branded Mr McMahon's death a "brutal and callous'' murder which had disgusted the community.
"The repeated threats to human life, young and old, have filled us with tension and anxiety, but when they spill over into killing then we experience a more profound sense of shock at the evil which is being perpetrated,'' he said.
The motivation for murder, be it "domestic, political, sectarian, or perhaps just casual '' should never lessen the sense of shock, the bishop added.
"Frequently people look at the situation and compare it with 30, 20, 10 years ago. Some will mutter that things are still bad; others will tell us how much has improved.
"Some see a glass half empty, some see a glass half full. Today, however, we are starkly reminded that whatever else, the glass still holds the dregs of bitterness and hatred.''
Mr McMahon's brothers Christopher and Ryan gave readings and Bishop Farquhar praised the victim's family for their dignity during a time of great pain.
He spoke of the need for love and forgiveness and an obligation to protect the dignity of human life "particularly the most vulnerable and defenceless''.
Mr McMahon is survived by his mother Deirdre, sisters Maria and Kathleen and brothers Christopher and Ryan.