The brother of the tattoo artist Aidan Mann who was murdered in Downpatrick final week has paid an emotional tribute at his funeral.
idan, often known as Zen Black, was stabbed with two knives in Church Avenue within the city on Monday, January 3, earlier than 4 males wrestled the attacker to the bottom and disarmed him.
Barry Donnelly, who lived on Church Avenue, appeared in Newtownards Magistrates Courtroom on Wednesday charged with the 28-year-old’s homicide.
The funeral passed off on Monday morning (January 10) at S.Clarke & Sons funeral administrators in Bangor.
The service was for quick household solely, however a reside stream was accessible to these coming to pay their respects outdoors.
The burial passed off at Clandeboye Cemetery afterwards, the place he was buried along with his grandmother.
On a Fb put up by Sailors and Scoundrels Tattoo Parlour in Newtownards on Friday, the place Aidan was working on the time of his demise, requested that each one males attending should put on black ties.
Contained in the funeral dwelling, photographs from Mr Mann’s childhood have been performed on a display screen as shut members of the family arrived.
The service started with the theme music from the Titanic movie being performed because the coffin arrived and family members comforted one another.
Funeral of Aidan Mann takes place in Bangor
A humanist celebrant led the service, stating that as Aidan had not been spiritual the household wished the service to be a celebration of his life.
Mourners heard how as a younger little one he had a love of dressing up in a batman costume and his creativity later noticed him change into a extremely revered tattoo artist.
A number of songs from his favorite group, My Chemical Romance, have been performed throughout the service which additionally included a heartfelt tribute from Aidan’s brother Lewis.
“There’s completely no phrases to explain my brother,” he mentioned.
“I’ve sat with my brother and had time alone with him, and I mentioned to him ‘I’m excellent at my phrases, and I can’t discover the phrases for Aidan.’
“They are saying folks have been one in one million, properly Aidan was one in a trillion.
“He was my protector, he was my older brother…we performed a lot collectively and we had a lot deliberate collectively.
“I informed everyone that I knew that I didn’t care in the event that they favored tattooing or not, Aidan was one of the best tattooist in Northern Eire and I used to be so proud, I nonetheless am, so happy with him.”
He added: “He constructed me as much as be the individual that I’m and I’ll proceed to attempt to adapt a few of Aidan’s mannerisms, however no one may.”
He mentioned his brother would have cried if even a wasp was damage in entrance of him.
“He was an enormous light soul, me and my brother had a bond and I cherished him very a lot.
“We had a lot deliberate collectively, however he’s getting a fantastic ship off with lovely folks and exquisite mates.
“All the things is gorgeous, he can be so proud and so glad of everybody.”
Addressing the tragic nature of his brother’s demise, he mentioned: “I cherished him a lot, this didn’t have to occur.
“Actually he was one of the best particular person on the face of the earth. You couldn’t have gotten a greater particular person than Aidan.”
Final Tuesday a particular vigil was held in his reminiscence the place round 60 autos gathered on the Seacat automobile meet-up occasion in Belfast’s Company Avenue underpass – an occasion Mr Mann is alleged to have attended every Tuesday night.
Those that have been current in his reminiscence joined collectively to pay tribute to somebody they described as a “very properly natured” and “all the way down to earth” particular person.
An internet fundraiser was launched earlier this week to assist cowl funeral prices with over £7,000 raised in only a matter of days.
Those that arrange the fundraising web page described Aidan as “one of the crucial fascinating, caring and passionate people about” and an “completed artist in lots of types however most notably tattooing” including that the tattoo group of Northern Eire has “misplaced a legend”.
Those that donated to the web fundraising web page described him as “a tremendous particular person” and “a fantastic soul”.
