A MILLIONAIRE estate owner’s foul language at a north funeral service was last night branded a “disgrace”.
Theatre producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh, who owns the 15,000-acre Nevis Estate is said to have used swear words and inappropriate phrases, such as “fornicating pr**k”, during his eulogy to former employee Frank Conway, 88.
And the incident has now been reported to the Bishop of Argyll and the Isles.
Sir Cameron, 66, was telling a story about Mr Conway’s time running a bunkhouse in Tarbet and referring to a letter left to him by two dissatisfied German tourists when he made the comments. Mourners attempted to shout Sir Cameron down during the service, at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour and St Cumin at Morar, while a local councillor yesterday branded his comments “appalling”.
Caol and Mallaig member Bill Clark said: “I cannot believe he would use language like that in the church. It is a disgrace.
“You would not see that said in the Highland Council chambers or in parliament. You don’t need any set rule in place to prevent this. It’s unwritten that you don’t use language like this in that situation.”
The funeral service was held by Father Joseph Calleja, who said: “I was upset by it and still am. If you cannot say something good about somebody at his funeral, you should say nothing.”
In Mallaig, retired skipper Alex MacDonald, 72, who was at the funeral on October 4, said: “It is the talk of the local area. He has done a lot of good for the community, but now his name is mud.
“He is an educated man and should have known better.”
Sir Cameron travelled from Canada for the funeral of Mr Conway, who recently passed away at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
The West End impresario, who produced hits such as Les Miserables and the Phantom of the Opera, said: “What I read at the service was simply from Frank’s own book with his memoirs and I was using his own words and from his own material. In fact, I toned down a lot of the language that Frank had used. The congregation were there to celebrate Frank’s life and I was very pleased his family and many others were grateful that I properly reflected Frank’s personality and the life of a very special and much-loved person.”
Retired lecturer and friend of Mr Conway’s, Alasdair Roberts, attended the funeral and defended Sir Cameron’s comments. He said: “When Frank ran the bunkhouse, he fell out with two German men who were staying there and they left a letter describing him in the terms some found offensive when read out. It was Frank’s favourite letter which he showed to a lot of people.”
Joseph Toal, Bishop of Argyll and the Isles, confirmed Father Calleja had reported the incident to him. He said: “The tributes in church should be shown first to the priest before being read out. Such tributes can be well done and very appropriate, but sometimes some things expressed would be better not said in the setting of a funeral.”