A row has erupted between Defence Forces veterans and a Monaghan priest over the use of the Tricolour at funeral masses for military personnel.

It comes after the funeral of Denis Barry last week, who spent 40 years in the Army and completed 13 overseas tours.

Permission for the flag to be draped over his coffin in the church was refused by Fr Leo Creelman, as first reported by Shannonside.

Veteran Tommy Sheehan, who was a friend of Denis, told Lunchtime Live the Tricolour was very important to him.

"He passed away, he'd all his funeral arranged," he said.

"What we didn't know was that he said... that if the coffin was not allowed into the church with the Tricolour on it, he was just to go to the grave.

"The priest that done the funeral refused to leave it in."

An Irish Defence Forces arm patch of a soldier in October 2016. Picture by: Andy Gibson / Alamy Stock Photo

Mr Sheehan said his friend's funeral service was held in the funeral home instead.

"All soldiers love the flag, the Tricolour, and there's a few churches around that won't allow this to happen.

"The bishops have left different things, saying that the Tricolour was to be let into the church on a military coffin.

"Apparently, some of these priests are not allowing it."

'The Tricolour is the State'

Mr Sheehan said he heard of several reasons why the flag could not be used.

"No one could tell me," he said. "There were different reasons about that there was that many things coming in on coffins, with club members and all this football, and a lot of stuff.

"This is where the priest was coming from.

"The Bishops of Ireland came out and said a military man can have the coffin draped with the Tricolour.

"The Tricolour is the State, it is the country... and you represent the flag - no matter where you go you bring it with you.

"It means a lot to any soldier, any soldier in any part of this country.

"He'd hate to see the flag abused or anything; he'd give his life for it."

File photo shows Defence Forces soldiers from the 53rd Infantry Group undergoing mission readiness training in the Glen of Imaal in preparation for the unit's deployment to Lebanon

Mr Sheehan said more soldiers have told him they want to avoid a church funeral without the Tricolour.

"Yesterday and the day before, a few soldiers came to me [and said] that if they're not allowed in the church with the Tricolour, they said, 'Take us straight to the furnace' - and they put that in writing.

"They have it in writing to their families," he added.

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Main image: An Irish Tricolour flag fluttering in the breeze in June 2009. Picture by: loren file / Alamy Stock Photo