The theatrical knight, his loyal retainer and a foul-mouthed funeral elegy that left a Scottish Highland congregation in uproar
- Inappropriate phrases such as 'fornicating p****' used during service for Frank Conway, estate retainer on Sir Cameron's 15,000-acre land
- Congregation at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour and St Cumin church in Morar, Inverness, tried to shout theatre producer down
- Councillor branded Sir Cameron a 'disgrace' while others stood in protest
- Sir Cameron, who amassed a £725million fortune for producing shows such as Phantom of the Opera, says he was reading from friend's memoir
- He has been reported to the Bishop of Argyll and the Isles, who may give him a formal rebuke, by Roman Catholic priest Father Joseph Calleja
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Sir Cameron Mackintosh has been branded a 'disgrace' after upsetting mourners by swearing while giving a eulogy at a friend's funeral.
Funeral attendees, who were paying their respects to Frank Conway, 88, were shocked by his use of coarse language during his address to the congregation.
Mr Conway lived as an old-fashioned retainer on the 15,000-acre estate, running a travelers bunkhouse in a former Loch Nevis church that is owned by Sir Cameron.
Sir Cameron, who owns a 15,000-acre Nevis Estate in the Highlands near where the funeral took place, is said to have used swear words and inappropriate phrases, such as 'fornicating p****.'
'Disgrace': Sir Cameron Mackintosh, left, is said to have upset mourners and the vicar while giving a eulogy at the funeral of his friend and former employee Frank Conway, right
The incident has now been reported to the Bishop of Argyll and the Isles.
Councillor for Caol and Mallaig Bill Clark said: 'I cannot believe he would use language like that in the church. It is a disgrace.
'You would not see that 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.'
Service: Sir Cameron's eulogy was given at the Our Lady of Perpetual Succour and St Cumin church, pictured, in Morar, Inverness and was met with uproar from the congregation
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, you should say nothing.'
Sir Cameron, 66, was telling a story
about Mr Conway's time running a bunkhouse in Tarbet and referring to a
letter sent to him by two dissatisfied German tourists when he made the
comments.
Mourners attempted to shout Sir Cameron down during the service held at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour and St Cumin in Morar.
Retired skipper Alex Donald, 72, who was at the funeral on October 4, added: 'It is the talk of the local area.
Outrage: Sir Cameron, who has a built a personal fortune of £725million as a producer of numerous West End shows, has been reported to the Bishop of Argyll and the Isles and may receive a formal rebuke
'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 died at Raigmore Hospital, Inverness.
He 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 that 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 Alasdair Roberts, a friend of Mr Conway, who attended the service defended Sir Cameron's comments.
He said: 'When Frank ran the bunkhouse, he fell out with two German tourists 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 a lot of people.'
Joseph Toal, Bishop of Argyll and the Isles, confirmed that the incident had been reported 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.'
THEATRE MOGUL'S LOVE OF HIGHLAND ESTATE NOT WITHOUT PROBLEMS
Theatre impresario Sir Cameron Mackintosh
Sir Cameron Mackintosh bought the Nevis Estate in 1994 after spending childhood holidays there.
In 2011 arsonists torched the landowner's 19-foot Orkney Fast Liner boat,
with its 40-horsepower outboard engine, worth £20,000 at remote Tarbet
on Loch Morar.
The arson attack came only weeks after a court ruled
in the 13-year dispute between Sir Cameron and his crofting tenant,
Donald Cameron, then 87.
Mr Cameron, along with many crofters in the
remote community, opposed plans for a woodland regeneration project on
the estate.
The Scottish Land Court ruled in Sir Cameron's favour.
He
was allowed to take 25 acres from his tenant's holding - and part of the
new development is on the disputed land.
In November 2000, Sir
Cameron's then holiday house on the shore of Loch Nevis was reduced to
ashes in a mystery fire when nobody was at home.
He has since built a £1.4million replacement mansion.
Torched: A new home is built for Sir Cameron on the site where his old holiday house was destroyed by fire in November 2000
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Comments (68)
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Well said ts. Frankly, I'm appalled at the so-called mourners. If they really claim to have known Frank, they would have known that Cameron honoured him regardless of the damned location or whether it was meant to be a proper occasion. The Frank Conway that I knew was a foulmouthed unconventional guy and I relished every moment of my time with him, some times barely being able to stay on my seat. Frank would be in the same giggly state if he heard what Cameron said.
WHATEVER YOU WATCH; READ OR LISTEN TO THESE DAYS TO IT WOULD APPEAR THAT FOUL LANGUAGE AND SEXUAL INNUENDOS APPEAR TO BE PAR FOR THE COURSE THESE DAYS
Totally needless and avoidable. A very bad misjudgment by Cameron MacIntosh but the damage has been done now
Whats appropriate all depends on the person who died. What comes to mind is John Cleese's words at Graham Chapman's memorial service. Though he cursed, it was fitting for the man and the occasion..touching and the crowd appreciated it.
I bet Mackintosh is shaking in his boots about a rebuke from the arch bishop... I'd send him a message back and tell him..You didn't knwo the guy and so can't comment.
Cameron obviously based the eulogy on his friendship and knowledge of the man..who would have no doubt, unlike the stuck up priest and mourners. This is the trouble with the church..they think they have total control over funeral services...A church is the last place I'd want mine to be held. Hold it where ppl who know me can tell the truth...no OH he was a great guy rubbish if they think I was an ass.
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Ron, Carlisle, United Kingdom, 1 hour ago
I told the vicar i wanted to give my old man a vikings funeral, burned on a longship on Ullswater, he nearly had a coronary right there in front of me. They've no sense of humour.
LORNAO, LONDON, United Kingdom, 9 minutes ago