Man who died swimming across Liffey after attack remembered as ‘courageous’ person

A Ballyfermot man who swam across the River Liffey following an attack and later died from his wounds, Thomas Griffin, was laid to rest in Cherry Orchard.

Mourners gathered in the Church of the Most Holy Sacrament where they remembered Thomas Griffin as “courageous” and “extraordinary”.

The victim’s sister, Hannahrose Griffin described her brother’s love of horses and the pride brought to his family following his accomplishments as a jockey.

Thomas was also a talented boxer, fighting out of St Matthew’s Boxing Club in Ballyfermot.

“He had the strength and courage to know that when life knocks you down, you get up,” Hannahrose told mourners.

“It is difficult to describe what he meant to so many people. Thomas was my protector, my best friend and my tormentor. He was loved beyond all measure by our parents.”

Hannahrose said the family’s “hearts are broken” over the loss of a person who had “touched so many lives”

“He was an extraordinary uncle and a loyal friend. He left a space that can never be filled,” she added.

“His free spirit is what he was and will always be. He will be forever unforgettable.

“Thomas had a way of making people feel happy, his laugh was contagious.”

During the mass, parish priest Fr Michael Murtagh remembered Thomas Griffin’s late brother James, who was fatally injured in a stabbing in Park West Business Park in November 2014 aged 26.

His attackers fled the scene in a taxi and were never caught.

Fr Murtagh thanked friends and families for the support shown by those who turned out for the funeral, describing their presences as “a prayer.”

“I’m very much aware of the pain and bereavement the family felt,” Fr Murtagh said.

Chief mourners were Thomas Griffin’s parents Gerard and Rose, his brothers Ciarán and Gerard, his sister Hannahrose, his sons Daylin and Cavalli-James, stepson Fletcher and Cavalli’s mother, Nicole.