A funeral for an Irish-Australian man was filled with strangers paying their respects instead of family members because they were unable to travel due to flight chaos sparked by the war in the Middle East.

Michael Purcell was born in Ireland and later moved to England before coming to Australia 58 years ago. He died at the age of 88 in Melbourne on September 5 last year.

It is understood he lost touch with his family after his move, with loved ones only learning of his death after it was published.

‘You lived your life as you chose. Maybe you never knew how we longed to find you, or how we wondered how your life went, if you were happy,’ one family member wrote in a tribute. 

‘You were never forgotten, always remembered and forever loved.’

A funeral service was held for Mr Purcell on March 27, with Daily Mail understanding that issues with the administrative process caused a delay. 

But just five days beforehand, the director of Botanical Funerals made a desperate plea to the Melbourne community and asked them to show up, as his Irish relatives could not travel to Australia.

‘The service will be livestreamed to Ireland, but at this stage, there is no family or friends attending in person here, as current circumstances have made it difficult for his family to travel,’ the funeral home wrote.

Michael Purcell was born in Ireland and later moved to England before coming to Australia 58 years ago. He died at 88 years old in Melbourne

His family was not able to travel due to disruption in the Middle East, so Melburnians gathered to pay tribute to his memory

Conflict in the Middle East has caused widespread airspace closures, cancelled flights and travel disruption, including to routes between Ireland and Australia.

‘Funerals are a deeply important part of Irish culture and for his family, it is difficult for them to think that no one would be there in person to farewell him,’ the team added.

‘With their permission, we are reaching out to the Melbourne community and beyond. If you are available and feel called to attend, your presence would mean so much and would be deeply appreciated by his family.

‘You don’t need to be Irish to attend, anyone is welcome and we would love to fill the chapel with kindness and human presence.’

The result was a huge gathering of locals at Springvale Botanical Cemetery, with Botanical Funerals confirming the chapel reached full capacity and even had to turn people away.

Some of the mourners also formed a guard of honour as the hearse drove down the street. 

One of them, Gloria Grimshaw, told 10News+ that the solemn occasion was also ‘very special’.

‘I feel very special that there are nice people in the world still, isn’t there,’ she said. 

The result was a huge gathering of locals at Springvale Botanical Cemetery, with Botanical Funerals confirming the chapel reached full capacity and even had to turn people away

Funerals are a deeply important part of Irish culture, the funeral director said

Another attendee, Lisa Snelling, added that she went to the funeral because, as she put it, ‘everybody needs to have somebody’.

‘And we need a bit more kindness and compassion around, especially at this time,’ she said. ‘So I just felt that, you know, you don’t want anybody to be on their own.’

Mr Purcell’s relatives, Teresa and Terry, who watched the service from across the world, wrote a heartfelt thanks to the funeral service.

‘Both my mum, Teresa, and I truly appreciate the effort you put into organising and liaising with our family in Ireland,’ Terry said in a note to the director, shared on social media.