The funeral of the comedian Jimmy Cricket has been taken by his son, who’s a Catholic priest at Salford Cathedral.
The Northern Ireland comedian, who’s real name was James Joseph Mulgrew, died earlier this month at the age of 80 after a short illness.
A lifelong Catholic, his deep faith was a cornerstone of his personal life and 50-year career. In 2015 he received the Order of Saint Gregory the Great from Pope Francis in honour of his extensive charity work. The award, known as a Papal Knighthood is the highest honour a layperson can receive in the Catholic Church.
Fr Frankie Mulgrew said his father’s faith was “really important to him and in the end he was really looking forward to going home, to going in to eternity”.
Fr Mulgew amused mourners at the funeral by saying: “For 10 years I was dad's road manager so I have seen him die before and rise again.
"When I entered seminary he said he was willing to sacrifice having grandchildren, so it's worked pretty well for him as he got a Papal Knightood and a cheap funeral."
He added that his father retained his humour right up until the end of his life singing the Monty Python song: “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”.
The funeral was followed by what Fr Mulgrew described as an “open mic wake” with mourners singing and telling jokes.