INVERCLYDE said a final farewell to the much loved author Cathy MacPhail whose novels gave a voice to generations of children.

Mourners joined with loved ones, family and close friends at St Mary's RC yesterday for the funeral of the acclaimed Greenock writer.

Father Thomas Boyle led the funeral mass and tributes to an inspirational woman who had close ties to the church where she was baptised and worshipped.

Speaking to those gathered at her funeral, including Provost Martin Brennan, Father Boyle reflected on a lifetime of love following her sad passing at the age of 75.

He said: "We are here not because Cathy died, but because she lived.

"When her godmother came here to St Mary's for her baptism she could not have known the 75 years that would have come next, the three children and the six grandchildren.

"She could not have foreseen all of that, or her radio plays, her 30 novels and her magazine features.

"Cathy was a famous author but she was also a spouse, mother, a grandmother and an aunt.

"She was someone who we knew well and we cared for but also someone who cared for us.

"Love flowed through her life, her love for others, and it is after all love that matters.

"It is not what you do in life but who you are and Cathy lived that.

"Cathy said that if people want to write they should look to their own lives, they are a lot more interesting than they think.

"Cathy reflected her own experiences and family life in her work."

Born and bred in Greenock, Cathy enjoyed a lifetime of love with her husband Archie, who passed away in 2001.

She is survived by her three children, David, 48, Sarah, 45, and Katie, 44, and six grandchildren.

Cathy lived close to the Esplanade and was a regular at St Mary's, both on Sundays and during the week until her illness.

She inspired children in her own community, running literacy workshops and regularly visiting schools.

Father Boyle recounted stories from parishioners of the impact Cathy had on children when she visited classrooms and the difference she made.

Cathy was brought up in Roxburgh Street and left school at 15, working in the mill and later at IBM.

She joined Greenock Writers' Club and found the confidence to pursue her dreams.

Among her many prizes, Cathy claimed the Kathleen Fidler Award and the Verghereto Award Award in 1997.

Born on 25 January 1946, Cathy passed away on August 28 after a long illness.

Offering comfort to those left behind, Father Boyle said: "We don't stop loving someone when they die.

"In fact our love for them grows stronger because they are not here to love us anymore.

"It is our mothers who taught us to love, we love because we were loved.

"Grief is an experience of that love."

The order of service featured a picture of Cathy's family and a photograph with her beloved husband Archie.

At her funeral mass the entrance hymn was 'Do Not Be Afraid,' followed by the offertory hymn 'I watch the Sunrise' and communion was accompanied by 'On Eagle's Wings'.

As mourners followed the cortege out of the church Stuart K Hine's great hymn 'How Great Thou Art' rang out.