Singer Cat Dowling remembered as a ‘true bohemian' and ‘free spirit' as she is laid to rest

Musician Cat Dowling was remembered as 'a true bohemian' and a 'free spirit' at her funeral service on Wednesday. The former frontwoman (54) of band Alphastates died last Friday in the care of St Francis Hospice in Blanchardstown, north Dublin. She had been treated for breast cancer since 2017. Having performed for more than 20 years, Dowling rose to earlier prominence as the frontwoman of Babelfish. She is survived by her three children, Rachel, Ódhran and Juliette, their father Brian, her mother Máirín, her sister Anne Marie and her four brothers, Padraic, Donal, Richard and John. Read more 'A true original' – singer-songwriter Cat Dowling dies aged 54 Dowling was buried in her native Kilkenny following a funeral at the Sacred Heart Church in Ferrybank, Co Waterford. Fr Roderick Whearty presided over the ceremony, which was attended by Dowling's closest family and friends. He said that she 'certainly left her mark' on the world. 'It was, as you all know, of course, through music and through song especially that Catherine has left her mark in the hearts of all who knew and loved her,' Fr Whearty said. He added: 'I suppose some people spend a lifetime trying to find their place in the world. Catherine was lucky and blessed in knowing who she was and what made her happy.' Her children brought gifts to the altar that reflected Dowling's values and passions, including her guitar to represent her love of music, a passport as an ode to her 'love of travel and adventure' and a container of sand taken from Silver Strand beach in Donegal to mark her 'deep love of the sea'. Dowling's daughters Rachel and Juliette performed an emotional rendition of a bedtime song she had written and sung for them when they were small, which included the lyrics: 'I'll sing you sweetly to sleep, if you cry, I'll wipe the water from your cheek. I'll chase the devils from your door, I'll give you all that I have and give more.' Cat Dowling's coffin leaving the The Sacred Heart Church in Ferrybank, Co Waterford © Steve Humphreys Her sister Anne Marie said in her eulogy: 'She was a true bohemian, a free spirit who lived life on her own terms. 'She was an artist in every sense of the word, valuing creativity, authenticity and self-expression above convention. 'The usual expectations, routines and measures of success never held much appeal for her. Instead, she found richness in nature, in music, in travel, in meaningful connections and in living life as her true self.' Musician Jerry Fish (right) at the funeral mass of Cat Dowling © Steve Humphreys Anne Marie reflected on the fact her late sister was christened with the middle name Cecelia. 'It somehow seems fitting that St Cecilia is the patron saint of music, because music flowed through Catherine's veins. It nourished her, comforted her, gave voice to everything she felt,' she said. Anne Marie recalled a time when Dowling's 'unmistakable gift' for music shone in primary school when she entered a local radio singing competition, 'winning herself the princely sum of £1'. She said Dowling's favourite song was her 2022 single Freedom because freedom it is 'the ultimate goal'. Her coffin was removed from the church to Dowling's cover of The Pogues' A Rainy Night in Soho.