The Government has met its commitment to providing a 24hour helicopter search and rescue service for the south-east coast, with the relocation of an Air Corps Dauphin to Waterford airport. 

 The Dauphin replaces the existing Alouette helicopter, which was stationed at Waterford a year ago as part of improved search and rescue cover, but was limited to daylight hours only. The provision "marks the final step" in establishing a "second-to-none air-sea helicopter emergency infrastructure" on this coast, the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Dr Woods, said yesterday. 

The Irish Marine Emergency Service (IMES), run by Dr Woods's Department, has two medium-lift Sikorsky S-61N helicopters based at Dublin and Shannon airports, on contract from the Scottish company, Bond Helicopters, at a cost of £4.5 million annually. An Air Corps Dauphin is based at Finner camp in Co Donegal. The upgrade at Waterford means that "world class" rescue helicopter coverage is now available 24 hours a day around this coastline, at a time of increased maritime activity, Dr Woods said. 

 The Minister also paid tribute yesterday to the Dublin-based Sikorsky S-61 N, which flew 103 missions in its first year and saved or assisted 46 people. The Price Waterhouse report on the review of the Naval Service and Air Corps has recommended that the Air Corps be equipped with four medium-lift helicopters over a four-year period, and replacement of the existing helicopter fleet of 15 Dauphin and Alouette craft with eight Squirreltype helicopters. This would allow the Air Corps to bid for the State's search and rescue service when the contract on the west coast comes up for renewal. 

 To date, however, there has been no significant movement on the Minister for Defence's proposed implementation plan for the report.

An Air Corps helicopter has crashed in dense fog in County Waterford resulting in the deaths of its four man crew. The Dauphin helicopter burst into flames after it crashed down into a large sand dune at Tramore beach. The crew members, who were in their late twenties or early thirties, have been named as Captain Dave O’Flaherty from Lucan in Dublin; Captain Michael Baker from Wexford; Sergeant Paddy Mooney from Meath; and Corporal Niall Byrne from Dublin.

The four were returning from a successful rescue mission but crashed having aborted three attempted landings at Waterford airport due to the foggy conditions. The Dauphin helicopter only began operating from County Waterford yesterday, in order to give the region a 24 hour rescue service. It had replaced the Alouette which can only fly during daylight hours.Air crash investigators from the Department of Defence and the Army are at the scene. This is the first crash of an air corps helicopter in active service in the history of the state.

President Mary McAleese and the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, have led the messages of sympathy to the families of the four Air Corp personnel. The Taoiseach said he is deeply shocked by the tragedy. In a statement, Mr Ahern said that the untimely death of the four men was all the more poignant given that they themselves had helped to save the lives of people on a vessel in distress a short time before the crash.

 But the wreckage, discovered after sightings of a "fireball" at 2.35 a.m., was confirmed as that of the missing aircraft, Dauphin, by a spokesman. 

 It was returning from a rescue mission when contact was lost after a communication at 12.37 a.m. 

 The crew of four in the Defence Forces Air Corps had earlier made three attempts to land at Waterford Airport, and was prevented from doing so by dense fog. 

 In their last contact they indicated that they would attempt to land near Tramore beach. 

 Defence Minister Mr Michael Smith and Minister for the Marine Mr Michael Woods were travelling to the crash site at Tramore. 

 Earlier the helicopter crew had helped rescue five people in a small boat reported missing off the coast late last night. 

 They had been summoned from their base in Waterford shortly before midnight to join two lifeboats searching for the boat which was subsequently found. The boat was towed to safety by the Helvic Lifeboat and those on board were unharmed. 

 However the alarm was raised for the helicopter crew itself shortly after contact was lost and the wreckage was found by rescuers searching the beaches and cliffs. 

 An air and sea search was immediately launched when radio contact was lost, said an Army spokesman. 

 It involved two lifeboats, the Emer nautical vessel, the Irish marine services helicopter based at Dublin, coastal units and police, he said. At 2.28 a.m. today, searchers sighted the burning wreckage of the helicopter on the beach at Tramore. 

 "The search for bodies was being concentrated in that particular area," added Defence Forces spokesman Commandant Eoghan O'Neachtain. "While every effort is being made to locate the crew the possibility of finding survivors is remote," he said. 

 The Army later named the men on board the helicopter as Captain Dave O'Flaherty, 30, from Tullamore, Co Offaly; Captain Mick Baker, 28, from Enniscorthy, Co Wexford; Sergeant Paddy Mooney, 34, from Stamullin, Co Meath; and Corporal Niall Byrne, 24, from Killiney, Co Dublin. 

 The Taoiseach Mr Ahern said he was deeply shocked by the tragedy. 

 In a statement issued from Belfast, where he is taking part in the bid for Ulster peace, he said: "Their untimely deaths is all the more poignant given that they themselves had helped to save the lives on board the vessel only a short time beforehand. 

 "Our sympathy is with their families, who we hope will take some solace from the bravery and selfless commitment to duty displayed by their loved ones. They can be very proud of them, as we all are."

THE stench of scorched metal and charred foam amid mounds of ash told its own tragic story of how four crew members of the Air Corps Dauphin helicopter died on the sand dunes just feet away from Tramore Bay yesterday morning. 
Captain Dave O’Flaherty (30), a married man from Lucan, Dublin; Captain Mick Baker (28), single from Castleknock, Dublin; Sergeant Pat Mooney, a father of three from Stamullen, Co. Meath, and Corporal Niall Byrne (24), single from Killiney, Dublin, died instantly when their helicopter crash landed and burst into flames in the sand dunes separating Tramore’s main beach from the back strand. The wreckage was spread over 40 yards. 
All that remained of a helicopter only put into service on Thursday was an emergency exit door, part of the nose of the craft, a blue seat, two pieces of foam seat padding and a collection of maps embedded in the grass covering the soft sand. 
Grieving families visited the crash site at lunchtime yesterday, just two miles from Tramore’s promenade. It’s a popular walking area for locals and tourists. 
But yesterday an air of gloom hung over the area as dense as the fog which played a part in the tragedy. 
Comdt. Gerry Hannon who escorted people to the crash site was a personal friend of the men who died. 
Only 12 hours earlier he joined them in launching the new 24 hour search and rescue service in the south east. 
Yesterday members of the defence forces place floral wreaths on a small sandy hill overlooking the site. 
The Dauphin was the first helicopter to crash while on active service in the Air Corps’ 77 year history. 
Most of those who gathered offered silent prayers as they tried to come to terms with the tragedy. 
As the painstaking job of sifting through each blade of grass began, Comdt. Hannon said he had no way of knowing what happened during the Dauphin’s the final moments. 
Asked if the pilot may have believed he was already on the beach he replied: “I honestly don’t know. It is hard to know.” 
He paid tribute to fire brigade personnel, the gardaí and all the emergency services whom he said “did a fantastic job”. 
“The whole area was cordoned off while each piece of the wreckage was gathered and tagged to be taken by low loader to Baldonnel for an intensive investigation,” he said.

A 24-hour search-and-rescue service with a replacement Dauphin helicopter will be restored to Waterford, the Minister for Defence has promised.

 Mr Smith said it would be a tribute to the men who were killed in Friday's crash to continue the service. 

The four died in the first nighttime operation from Waterford regional airport. The Dauphin they were flying had been relocated to Waterford from Baldonnel on Thursday, to give the south-east coast a 24-hour rescue service.

 The aircraft replaced an Alouette helicopter which had been stationed in Waterford a year ago as part of improved search-and-rescue cover, but was capable of daytime flying only. A Defence Forces spokesman, Capt Tom Clonan, said the lost Dauphin would be replaced by an Alouette while the operational situation at Waterford was being reviewed.

 But while no official announcement has been made, Mr Smith told The Irish Times that another Dauphin would be stationed in Waterford to bring about a resumption of the 24-hour service, which the Government and the Defence Forces had been committed to providing for some time.

 Whatever had to be done to make this come about would be done, he said, whether it involved purchasing a new helicopter for the area or relocating a Dauphin from elsewhere in the State. 

It is likely to be months, however, before the night-time service can be restored. Mr Smith pointed out that it was not simply a matter of replacing the lost aircraft; there was also a considerable investment to be made in producing crews of the calibre and experience of the men who were killed on Friday.

 The helicopter's pilots, Capt Dave O'Flaherty (30), from Tullamore, Co Offaly, and Capt Mick Baker (28), from Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, were both qualified flight instructors with more than 20 years' service in the Air Corps between them. 

While the crash investigation proceeds, the Defence Forces' other Dauphin helicopters will remain in service, Capt Clonan said.

Hundreds of people gathered in Tullamore, Co Offaly, yesterday for the funeral of Capt David O'Flaherty, one of the four Air Corps members who died in Friday's helicopter crash in Co Waterford. 

 Air Corps colleagues formed a guard-of-honour outside Clon minch cemetery as the funeral cortege arrived, preceded by the Band of the Defence Forces Training Centre at the Curragh. 

 The coffin, draped in the Tricolour, was borne on a gun carriage. 

 The attendance included many representatives of the Army, Naval Service, Irish Marine Emergency Service, the British Coast Guard, the Fire Brigade and Ambulance Services, the Garda Síoch´ana and the Organisation of Ex-Servicemen and Women. 

 Capt O'Flaherty's body was buried beside that of his father, Frank, who died 22 years ago. 

 Prayers at the graveside were led by Father Brendan Madden, Air Corps chaplain, who was assisted by a local curate, Father Oliver Skelly. 

 The local Church of Ireland clergyman, Canon Alistair Grimason, gave a reading. 

 After the burial, three Marchetti Air Corps planes flew over the cemetery as a tribute. They were flown by a crew from the pilot training school, where Capt O'Flaherty had trained as a flying instructor. 

 The band sounded the Last Post, while a volley of shots was fired by Air Corps members. A piper, Airman Joe O'Donnell, sounded a lament. 

 The chief mourners were Capt O'Flaherty's wife, Maria; mother, Lily; brother, Dermot, and sister, Valerie.

 The bodies had remained overnight at Waterford Regional Hospital, where a short service was conducted by two Army chaplains, Father Michael Murphy and Father Dick Marnell, both of the Southern Command. 

It was from here the men had taken off on Thursday night for what should have been a routine search-and-rescue operation. But, with the mission successfully completed, dense fog prevented them from landing at the airport on their return, forcing them into the illfated attempt to land at Tramore beach, 4 km away. 

 In a ceremony conducted with full military honours, the coffins were conveyed past a guard of honour which included many of those, marine rescue personnel and members of local mountain rescue teams - who had taken part in the search for the missing helicopter on Friday morning. 

 The guard of honour also included the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith; Brig Gen Dave Taylor, general officer commanding Southern Command; and the Ministers of State, Mr Martin Cullen and Mr Hugh Byrne. The small group of relatives present included Mr Tony and Mrs Mary Baker from Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, whose son, Capt Mick Baker (28), died in the crash.

EXPERTS from French aircraft manufacturer, Aerospatiale, are to assist an Air Corps probe into the helicopter crash in Tramore, Co Waterford on Friday that killed four men returning from an heroic rescue mission in dense fog. 

The move came as Air Corps personnel and politicians slated as ``insensitive and disgusting'' a newspaper report which claimed the flying record of the helicopter's pilot, Captain Dave O'Flaherty (32) was now a focus of the probe. 

The Sunday Times claimed that the service record of the Offaly-born pilot who was buried yesterday in his native Tullamore after a ceremony at Baldonnel was now being examined as part of the crash investigation. 

But Air Corps officers reacted with fury to any implication that the pilot may have been responsible for the crash and to the publication of such a report on the very day the Captain was buried. 

"To describe this as in poor taste is very much an understatement,'' Cork TD Billy Kelleher declared. "I think the very suggestion and its timing is not only insensitive but cruel and disgusting,'' he declared. 

Air Corps officers who are leading the crash probe with a team from the Department of Public Enterprise's Accident & Emergency Unit are furious at ongoing speculation over the crash cause. 

Investigators have already ruled out claims the high-tech Dauphin helicopter ran out of fuel and have vehemently insisted that there is no evidence to date to explain the crash and explosion. 

Fragments of the 13-year-old French chopper were meticulously collected over the weekend and removed from the Saleens crash site, one mile outside Tramore. 

The fragments will now be carefully examined by forensic analysts to try and piece together the last moments of the twin-engined chopper. 

Unlike civil aircraft, the Air Corps chopper did not have a digital data recorder, the so-called `black box' which could explain why the Dauphin struck the sand dune. 

The chopper's manufacturers, Aerospatiale, which is now a part of the Eurocopter consortium, is to provide detailed assistance to the investigation. 

Nicknamed the `Plastic Puppy', the Dauphin is regarded as the world's finest short-range Search And Rescue (SAR) helicopters and is in service with the US Coast Guard and the China's Air Force. 

However, the Dauphin has been the focus of a number of crashes over recent years, most notably in Asia. 

A total of seven fatal crashes have involved the Dauphin over the past decade; in Japan (three, in 1987, 1990 and 1991), India (two, in 1988 and 1989), Norway (in 1996) and the Philippines (on 1989). 

At least three crashes involved adverse weather conditions. 

Visibility off the Waterford coast at the time of the 12.30am crash last Friday was said to be down to little more than 25 feet.

 "Without them, our survival as island communities would be threatened. My heart goes out today to the wives, children, parents and families of these brave men who have made the ultimate sacrifice to save others. Our thoughts and prayers are with them in their grief." 

 These are the words of Dr Marion Broderick, Aran Islands lifeboat medical officer and GP, who is one of many to convey sympathy to the Air Corps on the loss of four airmen in Co Waterford on Friday. 

 Up in the north-west, where a special award ceremony for Irish Marine Emergency Service (IMES) personnel set for last Friday was deferred, there are people who remember the heroism of one of the men who died. 

 Capt David O'Flaherty had tested the limits of the Dauphin helicopter in an extraordinary rescue in February 1998. The Shannon-based IMES Sikorsky had answered a call-out to lift an injured fisherman from a Norwegian vessel off Co Mayo in 50knot winds with a 20ft swell. However, the Sikorsky's equipment failed and it had to abandon the task. 

 The Air Corps Dauphin, based at Finner, Co Donegal, was called out. Along with Comdt Seán Murphy, Airman John O'Rourke and Airman Jim O'Neill, Capt O'Flaherty escorted the Sikorsky to Blacksod, Co Mayo. The Dauphin refuelled and flew back to airlift the injured man and an IMES winchman left behind from the Sikorsky. 

 The Dauphin then took the injured man to Sligo hospital and had barely touched down when it received a request to pick up a sick man on Inishbiggle, Co Mayo, and bring him to Castlebar.

IT was a beautiful summer afternoon in a grassy place between the mountains and the sea. Quiet and peaceful. A lovely lazy day for watching jet planes draw white vapour trails across the sky. 

The rifle fire was fading on the warm air of Shanganagh cemetery, and the bugler was still playing The Last Post when three planes roared in from beyond the Wicklow mountains and flew in traditional salute past the funeral party. 

To the uninitiated, it was a fitting and impressive tribute to a dead hero. But the ranks of airmen saying goodbye to their brave colleague could read the other message in the sky. 

Because the three Marchetti aircraft were flying overhead in Missing Man Formation. 

Twenty-four-year old Corporal Niall Byrne from Killiney was the youngest man to die in last week's Air Corps helicopter tragedy. Yesterday, the brave winchman who routinely risked his life to save others, was laid to rest with full military honours in a south county Dublin graveyard. 

But for all the soul-stirring brass band and sombre marching ceremony of the military funeral, this was still the story of one family's tragedy. 

On a sun-drenched morning in Killiney, Niall's mother Anna and his fiancée Teresa Molloy held onto each other for support as they walked past the blue uniforms and the green and the navy into the Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel. Teresa clutched Niall's red Manchester United jersey and his sky blue Dubs jersey they would be presented as offertory gifts along with his cherished Air Corps safety certificate. 

Corporal Byrne's father Vincent shielded his distraught daughter Aoife (15) as they made their way inside, followed by her older brothers Eunan, Donal and Ronan. They listened as Father Frank Monks talked about their Niall, and how everyone was looking forward to his impending marriage to Teresa, and how he was going to be the priest at his wedding. 

``Thursday night, Friday morning shattered that dream.'' 

Hundreds of people came their honour Niall's memory and pay their respects to his devastated family. Included among the mourners who had met this exceptional young man was President Mary McAleese, who had met Niall when he was on a tour of duty in the Lebanon a number of years ago and still remembered him. 

Comrades from the Air Corps in their distinctive blue uniforms fought to hold back the tears as the service progressed. By the time they got to the graveyard, with the evocative strains of the Last Post playing and the silver arrowhead of planes speeding overhead, many had given in to their emotions. 

The men and women who fly the resue missions are part of a special family of people. Ambulance crews, mountain rescue teams, certain members of the Garda Siochana, Garda divers, lifeboat men and women, firemen they are selfless and courageous individuals who rely on each other so others in difficulties can depend on them. 

They were all in mourning yesterday. Maybe, too, somewhere in the crowd, were people who had been plucked to safety by winchman Byrne. 

On the final journey uphill to the graveyard, the Army Number One band slow-marched to a lament in front of the remains. The tricolour-draped coffin had been on gleaming brass gun carriage and, on the coffin, rested Cpl. Byrne's blue Air Corps cap and a single red rose. 

The sombre procession passed through a 32-strong guard of honour which lined the approach road. On command, they reversed arms and bowed their heads. Niall's family walked behind the gun carriage, each one of them carrying a single, long-stemmed, red rose. 

At the graveside, the flag was removed and carefully folded. After prayers, a firing party of seven fired three perfectly timed volleys. Soldiers and airmen saluted when the Last Post played, looking up and in to the sun as the three planes flew by and out to sea. Even for the military men, it was hard not to cry. 

Airman Francis Whelan, an Air Corps piper, played Amazing Grace. Teresa Molloy's engagement ring glinted in the sunshine, her shaking hand clutching a handkerchief and a rose. She stood close to Niall's mother Anna, and then both women stepped forward and cast the roses into the open grave. Teresa held onto the blue silk rose Air Corps colours. 

Together, the family stood in reflection. Saying goodbye to Niall, son, brother, fiancé. And hero.

An Aer Corps court of inquiry has been set up to lead the probe into Friday’s accident in Tramore, Co Waterford in which the air sea rescue fliers lost their lives after delivering the crew of a fishing boat to safety. 
The court, which will have its own technical staff, will oversee the gathering of any relevant information and will liaise with anyone who can shed light on any aspect of the tragedy. 
The Dauphin helicopter’s French manufacturer, Eurocopter ö formerly Aerospatiale ö is expected to aid the investigation. A Department of Defence spokesman said last night that the company has already been contacted. 
“They will be interested in this themselves, and would normally make contact in these circumstances,” he said. “Their advice will have to be sought by the inquiry.” He explained that the investigators will also have to re assemble the aircraft “as far as is practicable”. 
The court of inquiry is a formal body, set up under statute, but it will not function like a normal court. A Defence Forces spokesman explained that it will simply be charged with establishing how the accident happened. 
“It is an inquiry, nobody will be accused of anything and there won’t be questioning and cross examining witnesses. It will have a technical board appointed by the Aer Corps and its job is to find out what happened, this is done in any case like this,” he said. It is not known when the investigation will be completed. 
Aerospatiale designed the Dauphin which is a twin engined craft with a top speed of 170 miles an hour and can travel for 530 miles without refuelling. 
They are used in a number of countries, including Ireland and Britain, for air/sea rescue.

THOUSANDS assembled at St Aidan’s Cathedral, and joined the funeral cortege on its route to St Mary’s Cemetery, as Enniscorthy interred its latest soldier hero, 28 year old Captain Michael Baker of Carley’s Bridge 
Captain Baker was the last to be buried of the Air Corps Dauphin helicopter rescue team who lost their lives at Tramore last Friday. 
Her excellency President Mary McAleese was in attendance and the Government was represented by Minister for the Marine Dr Michael Woods and Minister for Defence Michael Smith TD. 
Most Rev. Dr Brendan Comiskey , Bishop of Ferns was chief concelebrant at Requiem Mass and the congregation included leaders and members of all denominations. 
State departments and services, and a group from the Royal Air Force also paid their respects in the cathedral where Captain Michael and his siblings Tom, Cormac and Antoinette were christened and confirmed, and where their mother Mary is the long serving organist. 
Mary, her husband Tony, and their three surviving children followed immediately behind the traditional gun carriage, flanked by an Air Corps Guard of Honour as business in the town shut down and roads were closed to traffic. The coffin was draped in the National flag with the young officer’s blue Air Corps cap on top. 
Every section of the community of Co. Wexford joined in a poignant goodbye to a brave young man. 
But grief was permeated with shame amongst the general populace. The disgusting act of burglary against the bereaved family as they attended the National Prayer Services in Baldonnnel last Saturday could not be set aside. 
Gardaí in Enniscorthy are confident of making an arrest, however. 
Two engagement rings and two watches were stolen from the home of Capt. Baker’s parents, Tony and Mary, at Carley’s Bridge outside Enniscorthy in the raid. 
Superintendent Pat Delaney said their enquiries into the burglary are continuing, but progress is being made. 
“The Bakers are a very well known family and there is a deep sense of revulsion at this crime. We have received a description of a person seen in the area around the time of the burglary, and we hope that an arrest will be made soon,” Supt Delaney said. 
He ruled out the likelihood that the burglary was planned in the knowledge that the family were away at their son’s removal. 
“At this stage we believe it was purely a coincidence that the Baker home was targeted.”

THE deaths of the four Air Corps crewmen in the Tramore helicopter disaster touched a chord in the psyche of the nation, mourners were told at the funeral of Captain Mick Baker yesterday. 

The head chaplain to the Armed Forces, Monsignor John Crowley, said the tragedy had touched the hearts of countless people over the last five days. 

President McAleese lead the mourning when leaders of church and State gathered with local people in St Aidan's Cathedral, Enniscorthy, Co Wexford. The Government was represented by the Minister for Defence Michael Smith, Dr Michael Woods, Minister of the Marine, and Wexford-based Junior Minister Hugh Byrne. 

The town came to a standstill when the tricolour-draped coffin was drawn through the streets on a gun carriage to its resting place in St Mary's cemetery. 

People were stunned by the sudden deaths said Fr Crowley. The hearts of all went out to his parents, Tony and Mary, and his brothers Tom and Cormac and sister Antoinette, he said. 

It was difficult to make sense of why the tragedy happened. 

"It is against nature for parents to bury their child. When we bury our parents we close the door on the past but when parents bury a child it closes the bridge to the future,'' he said. 

Sympathy was also expressed to Capt Baker's girlfriend, Siobhan Dunne of Clonroche, Co Wexford. 

And Fr Crowley condemned the burglary of Capt Baker's family home in Enniscorthy while the family attended the removal of his remains in Baldonnel. 

"Not only did his parents lose their son, but somebody tried to exploit the tragedy.'' 

During the offertory procession, symbols of Capt Baker's life were taken to the altar. A flying helmet recalled his role as a search and rescue pilot and a model yacht symbolised his recent passion for sailing. 

A hurley and two jerseys of the Wexford Raparees and Dublin-based Commercials symbolised his love of sport. There was also a trumpet and a book of poems as well as strawberries symbolising his family's long association with fruit growing in the county. 

The poem Flying High was recited during Mass in which Capt Baker's cousin, Archdeacon John Hogan, was a concelebrant. Bishop Brendan Comiskey gave the final commendation. 

Colleagues of the dead airman formed a guard of honour at the cemetery and a firing party discharged a volley as the coffin was lowered into the ground. A bugler played The Last Post and there was a fly-over of three Air Corps jets in the `lost man' formation.

MORE than 500 mourners attended the moving funeral service yesterday of helicopter crash victim Sergeant Patrick Mooney. 

In a poignant homily during the service in Stamullen, Co Meath, the Air Corps Chaplain, Father Brendan Madden, referred to Sgt Mooney's work with the Search and Rescue Support Unit. 

He said that many children still had fathers and many fathers still had children because of his actions. 

The village was a sea of green and blue as the 34-year-old's colleagues in the Defence Forces came to pay their last respects to the popular and respected father of three, who was one of four victims of the helicopter crash in Tramore, Co Waterford, last Friday. 

St Patrick's Church was too small to hold the crowds who came to pay their respects to the Air Corps sergeant and many stood in silence in the car park outside. 

Sgt Mooney's ten-year-old daughter, Aisling, read a prayer she wrote herself. 

She said she would never forget her father. 

Fr Madden said the airman's widow, Monica, believed one day he would reach down and lift her up to join him in heaven. 

The flying jacket he wore on each of the search and rescue operations was brought up during the offertory procession along with his green Irish Rangers Unit beret, his UN beret and two GAA jerseys from the local St Patrick's and Balscadden Blues clubs. 

His brother, Joe, told the congregation that Balscadden Blues club was retiring the No 6 jersey Patrick had worn as a mark of respect. 

The mourners were led by President Mary McAleese, the Minister for Defence, Michael Smith, and the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, Dermot Ahern. 

The pallbearers included his brother, Joe, and his cousin, PJ Cudden, who are also members of the Defence Forces. 

The Last Post was played as his tricolour-draped coffin was led to nearby Stamullen cemetery. 

Sgt Mooney's widow was comforted by his mother, Miriam, and her aunt, Kathleen Gilligan. 

His eight-year-old son, Conor, walked at the front of the cortege wearing his father's Air Corps cap and carrying a red rose. 

As part of the military funeral, six volleys of three shots were discharged over the coffin and three Marchetti aircraft flew overhead. 

The planes normally fly in a cross formed by four aircraft; the missing plane yesterday was to mark the loss to the Air Corps of the sergeant. 

The Defence Forces were represented by Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General David Stapleton; General Officer Commanding Air Corps, Brigadier-General Patrick Cranfield; and Commander Noel Goulding representing the Naval Service.

More than 500 mourners attended the funeral in Stamullen, Co Meath, yesterday of Sgt Patrick Mooney. In a poignant and moving homily, the Air Corps chaplain, Father Brendan Madden, referred to Sgt Mooney's work with the Search and Rescue Support Unit. 

 He said: "Many children have fathers and many fathers have children because of Patrick". 

 The village was a sea of green and blue as his colleagues in the Defence Forces came to pay their last respects. 

 The small church of St Patrick was far too small to hold the crowd, and many stood in silence in the car-park outside. 

 Sgt Mooney's 10-year-old daughter, Aisling, read a prayer she wrote herself and said she would never forget him. 

 Father Madden said his widow believed that one day he would reach down and lift her up to join him in heaven. 

 The flying jacket he wore on each of his search-and-rescue operations was brought up during the Offertory procession, along with his green Irish Rangers Unit beret, his UN beret and two GAA jerseys from the local St Patrick's and Balscadden Blues clubs. 

 His brother, Joe, told the congregation that Balscadden Blues club, as a mark of respect, was retiring the No 6 jersey which Patrick had worn. 

 Mourners included the President, Mrs McAleese, the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, and the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, Mr Dermot Ahern. 

 The pallbearers included his brother, Joe (Dave), and his cousin, Mr P.J. Cudden, who are also members of the Defence Forces. 

 The Last Post was played as his Tricolour-draped coffin was led to nearby Stamullen Cemetery. 

 Sgt Mooney's widow was comforted by his mother, Miriam, and her aunt, Ms Kathleen Gilligan. His eight-year-old son, Conor, walked at the front of the cortege wearing his father's Air Corps cap and carrying a rose. 

 As part of the military funeral, six volleys of three shots were discharged over the coffin and, because the sergeant was a member of the Air Corps, three Marchetti jets flew overhead. The jets normally fly in a cross formed by four aircraft; the missing plane yesterday was to mark the loss to the Air Corps of the sergeant. 

 The Defence Forces were represented by the Chief-of-Staff, Lieut Gen Dave Stapleton; General Officer Commanding the Air Corps, Brig Gen Pat Cranfield; and Commander Noel Goulding, representing the Naval Service.

The final act of the Air Corps crew killed in Friday's crash was one of compassion, mercy and a concern for those who were vulnerable, the funeral of the last of the four men to be buried was told yesterday. 

 Mgr John Crowley, head chaplain of the Defence Forces, told mourners at the funeral of Capt Mick Baker in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, that he was a young man "full of energy, enthusiasm and zest for life taken from us in an instant". 

 "We seek and search for something to hold on to at this time. It must be our belief and our hope that God does not inflict such tragedies on us. They come unbidden, unwanted from our world." 

 Several hundred mourners lined the street outside St Aidan's Cathedral, which was packed for the funeral Mass. 

 The chief mourners were Capt Baker's parents, Tony and Mary, sister Antoinette, brothers Cormac and Tom, and girlfriend Siobhan Dunne. 

 Mr and Mrs Baker had previously lost another son, John, aged three, in 1980. 

 The President, Mrs McAleese, attended yesterday's funeral, while the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, was represented by his aide-decamp, Capt Michael Kiernan. 

 Also present were the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith; the Minister of State for Marine and Natural Resources, Mr Hugh Byrne; the Chief-of-Staff of the Defence Forces, Lieut Gen Dave Stapleton; and the General Officer Commanding the Air Corps, Brig Gen Pat Cranfield. 

 In a homily, Mgr Crowley, who was chief concelebrant, said sudden and unexpected deaths shattered our world. 

 "One minute we are talking about the regular things of life, and within seconds all is changed, and changed for ever. On Thursday last our lives were focused on the future, of dreams and hopes to be realised. Friday morning, it was about the past and memories of happier days and happier times." 

 He said no words of his could adequately encapsulate the emptiness, pain and sorrow felt by Capt Baker's loved ones. 

 Referring to the robbery which took place at Capt Baker's parents' home on Saturday night, Mgr Crowley said that not only had they lost their son, "but others chose to exploit this tragedy for their benefit". 

 "What can I say? What can anyone say? But as I look down this church today, I see so many people, your friends, and friends of Mick, neighbours, representatives of church and State, good people, kind people, loving people. 

 "The support and concern of others sustain us all at such times. Love will overcome and win out, even over death." 

 There were frequent references to Capt Baker's avid interest in poetry, which he frequently quoted to his Air Corps colleagues. Mgr Crowley read lines from "one of Mick's favourite poems", which he often quoted, The Listeners, by Walter de la Mare. 

 "The death of his brother, John, had challenged Mick to face difficult and painful issues, and perhaps gave him that tremendous zest for life, and living it, his sense of fun, and 110 per cent commitment to sport, to sailing, to flying and to life itself." 

 The Bishop of Ferns, Dr Brendan Comiskey, led the final commendation, after which Capt Baker was buried with full military honours at St Mary's Cemetery.

THE four Irish Air Corps crewmen of the Dauphin helicopter which crashed in Tramore sand dunes were killed instantly, inquests heard yesterday. 

Verdicts were returned that the men, Capt Dave O'Flaherty (30), married, a native of Tullamore, Co Offaly; Capt Mick Baker (28), single, of Enniscorthy, Co Wexford; Sgt Paddy Mooney (34), married, a native of Stamullen, Co Meath and Cpl Niall Byrne (24), single, of Killiney, Co Dublin, died of multiple severe and traumatic injuries consistent with an air crash. 

The disaster took place in thick fog on July 2 last within hours of the helicopter taking up new round the clock duties and guiding a successful rescue mission. 

The four bodies received third degree burns and charring and identity was established by their dental records. Pathologist Dr Joseph O'Connor, Waterford, said the bodies received multiple compound fractures and vital organs were ruptured in the crash. 

The coroner for east Waterford, Frank Hutchinson, solicitor, said the inquests would not be closed until the investigation into the tragic accident was completed and he adjourned the matters for one year. Mr Hutchinson said he had not come across an inquest like this which evoked such genuine sadness. The mission on which the men were involved drew sympathy from the people of Ireland and without them many more people would have died in the Waterford area. 

"I want to thank you publicly for making that possible and for making these men available to us,'' he told the victims' families. 

"I hope in time to come you will experience feelings of consolation. It was a privilege to have them serve here and their memories will be cherished for a very long time.'' 

Sgt Robert Murphy, Air Corps helicopter wing, said he saw the ill-fated helicopter departing at 22.40pm on July 1. 

The next sighting of the craft was in the Tramore sandhills. Garda Simon Murphy, Waterford, said he searched the sand hills for the overdue helicopter and found burning wreckage spread over a wide area at 4am. 

There was thick fog which limited visibility to 10 to 15 yards. Garda Sgt Chris Delaney, Waterford, then located the four bodies and placed them in body bags. A spokesman for the Air Corps thanked the people of Waterford and Tramore for their sympathy, help and understanding. 

The search and rescue unit based at Waterford Airport is still operating and fulfilling the ideals of the Air Corps, the inquest heard.

The four Air Corps men killed in the helicopter crash in Tramore earlier this month died from multiple severe traumatic injuries, the inquests into their deaths heard yesterday. 

 Their relatives were told in Waterford that the tragedy had touched the public in a unique way. The families were also thanked by the coroner for east Waterford, Mr Frank Hutchinson, for the life-saving services the men had provided. 

 Dental records were used to identify the bodies of the men, who all died instantly when their Dauphin helicopter crashed into a sand dune at Tramore Burrow on July 2nd, as they were attempting to return from a successful searchand-rescue mission. 

 The four were Capt Dave O'Flaherty (30), who was married with no children, from Tullamore, Co Offaly; Capt Mick Baker (28), single, from Enniscorthy, Co Wexford; Sgt Paddy Mooney (34), married with three children, from Stamullen, Co Meath; and Cpl Niall Byrne (24), single, from Killiney, Co Dublin. 

 Having heard evidence as to the immediate cause of death, Mr Hutchinson adjourned the inquests for a year, pending the outcome of the official investigation into the cause of the crash. 

 In evidence, Garda Simon Murphy said he arrived at the scene of the crash on the sand dunes at Tramore beach at about 4 a.m. The wreckage of the helicopter was still burning, and parts were thrown across a wide area. Fog was thick and visibility was down to 10 to 15 yards. Members of the Tramore unit of the Irish Marine Emergency Service and two Air Corps personnel were already present. 

 Sgt Chris Delaney said he arrived at 4.10 a.m. and secured the scene with Garda Murphy.

 He was present when the four bodies were recovered and placed in body bags. He accompanied them to the mortuary at Waterford Regional Hospital. 

 Two South Eastern Health Board dental surgeons, Dr Maeve Keller and Dr Maura Haran, later identified the bodies using dental records supplied by the Defence Forces' medical unit. 

 Dr Joseph O'Connor, who carried out the post-mortems, said an external examination of all four showed severe traumatic injuries, with third-degree burns and charring. The men suffered multiple fractures and internal injuries. The doctor agreed with Mr Hutchinson that death in each case was instantaneous. 

 Mr Hutchinson told family members that he had never come across "such genuine sadness and heartfelt feeling as I've found in the last few weeks". 

 Death in each case, he said, was due to multiple severe traumatic injuries consistent with an aviation accident.

Experts from Sweden and Britain have been called in to assist in the investigation into last month's helicopter crash in Tramore, which killed four members of the Air Corps. 

 It will be several months at least before the investigation team is able to produce a draft report on the cause of the accident, the worst in the Air Corps's 77-year history. 

 Interested parties including members of the victims' families will be invited to comment on the initial findings before the final report is published. 

 The investigation is the first of its kind in that it is headed by a member of the Air Corps, Lieut Col Tom Moloney, but is being conducted under civil regulations with the involvement of the air accident investigation unit of the Department of Public Enterprise. 

 One of those brought in to assist in the inquiry is a "human factors" expert, Ms Kristina Pollock, who is director of military safety in Sweden and has been involved in over 100 air accident investigations. 

 She will provide a report on aspects such as the kind of pressure the helicopter's pilots were working under and the decision-making process involved. 

 The investigators will not, however, seek to apportion blame for the crash. 

 Mr Kevin Humphreys, who heads the air accident investigation unit at the Department of Public Enterprise, said the purpose was to find out what happened "and hopefully learn whatever lessons are needed to ensure it doesn't happen again." 

 The second foreign expert employed, Mr Richard Whidborne, is a principal inspector at the UK's air accident investigation branch in Farnborough. He is a helicopter specialist and will also provide a report for the investigation team. 

 Further specialist analysis will be carried out in France, under the supervision of Lieut Col Moloney and his team, by the manufacturers of the Dauphin helicopter and its engine. 

 Capt Dave O'Flaherty (30), from Tullamore, Co Offaly; Capt Mick Baker (28), Enniscorthy, Co Wexford; Sgt Paddy Mooney (34), Stamullen, Co Meath; and Cpl Niall Byrne (24), Killiney, Co Dublin, all died instantly when their helicopter crashed into a sand dune near Tramore beach in Co Waterford. 

 They were returning from a successful search-and-rescue mission off the south-east coast but dense fog had prevented them from landing the helicopter at their base at Waterford Regional Airport.

Their coffins lay in Hangar 3 in Baldonnel on Saturday in the same configuration as the men had sat on their last flight two nights before. Pilots Capt Dave O'Flaherty and Capt Michael Baker were to the front, winchmen Sgt Paddy Mooney and Cpl Niall Byrne behind. 

 Draped in Tricolours, the caskets were surrounded by hundreds of floral tributes, their colour a sharp contrast to the concrete grey and military green of the hangar. Along the white section of two of the Tricolours lay the swords which Capt Baker and Capt O'Flaherty received with their officers' commissions. 

 "Four of our finest, our most experienced, our most professional" were taken, the congregation was told. Four men who had been "so vibrant, so energetic, so full of life" were gone. 

The CASA aircraft carrying the men's remains had taxied on the runway at Casement aerodrome at 7 p.m. The coffins were taken from the back of the plane one by one, while relatives and colleagues watched from the edge of the runway. A lone piper played Raglan Road, as four groups of the men's colleagues took it in turn to remove the coffins. 

The President, Mrs McAleese, led the mourners with the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, who had been flown to the talks in Stormont earlier in the week by two of the men. Joining them were the Tánaiste, Ms Harney, the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, and the Minister for the Marine, Dr Woods. 

 Also present was the Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin, the Most Rev Raymond Field. Leading the military mourners was the Chief-of-Staff of the Defence Forces, Lieut Gen David Stapleton, and his Deputy Chiefs-of-Staff, Brig Gen Mangan and Brig Gen O'Dwyer. They were accompanied by the Officers Commanding the Air Corps and Naval Service, Brig Gen Patrick Cranfield and Commodore John Kavanagh. The American and British military attachés and a search-and-rescue team from RAF Chivenor also joined with the mourners. 

 The family and friends of Cpl Niall Byrne gathered for a prayer service in Baldonnel last night. His burial will take place this morning in Shanganagh Cemetery after 11 a.m. Mass at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, Johnstown, Killiney. 

 Sgt Paddy Mooney's remains were kept at his family home in Stamullen, Co Meath, last night and will be removed for 7 p.m. Mass tonight. He will be buried tomorrow in Stamullen after noon Mass. Capt Michael Baker's remains will arrive at St Aidan's Cathedral, Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, at 6 p.m. today. He will be buried tomorrow at St Mary's cemetery after 4 p.m. Mass.