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It's the last journey you will ever take so a Northern Ireland couple are trying to make sure people’s funerals get noticed – with customised hearses.

Builder Robert Adams is offering grieving families a novel way to pay their final respects to loved ones.

The 58-year-old from Crossgar, Co Down, has designed and created Northern Ireland’s first motor-tricycle and tractor hearses.

Despite his wife Cathy’s concerns Robert pressed ahead with his ambitious plans and the results have certainly been head-turning – as people in Antrim found out last week.

The motor-tricycle hearse was used during the funeral of keen biker John McCourt, who died after he fell from cliffs at Fanad Head in Co Donegal.

The vehicle was a fitting tribute to the larger-than-life figure. Parked outside Bairds of Antrim ahead of Mr McCourt’s funeral on Friday, traffic on the busy road came to a virtual standstill with motorists eager to get a better view of the hearse.

Some even pulled over to get a picture of the custom-built vehicle on their

smartphones.

Cathy, 53, said: “It certainly does get a lot of attention. We like to think of it as the last mile in style.

“We have had the trike for about 18 months now, although this was only the fourth funeral we have done with it.

“I suppose it is something that is kind of difficult to promote.”

While the motor-tricycle hearse is primarily aimed at the biker community, Cathy added the couple have received enquiries from the most unlikely of people.

She said: “We have had little old ladies asking about it.

“People are looking for something a little different these days than always going for the traditional.”

Robert, himself a keen biker, designed the motor-tricycle himself.

The actual hearse was built from scratch.

It is pulled by Robert’s Triumph motor-tricycle which bears the personalised number plate R1P XV – or there is also the choice of the mini tractor.

Cathy added: “Robert has thought of everything.

“The hearse can even detach from the trike and go to the graveside on its own which means that if you have a very heavy person it can be taken straight to the grave.

“We transport the hearse to wherever the funeral is in a 26ft container so that it arrives spotless and ready to be used. People are always very impressed by what they see.”

Jon Baird, from Bairds of Antrim funeral directors, said: “We had never used the trike before but we were very happy and would have no problem recommending it again.

“We have done quite a few horse-drawn funerals in the past but this is the first time we have been asked for something like this.

“It was a very fitting tribute to the deceased.”

Mr Baird, who has worked in the family business for 35 years, added more and more people are “looking for something that little bit different”.

He said: “I am glad we were able to provide that service.

“It is important people have no regrets when it comes to a funeral.

“The motor-trike arrived up the night before so we could look at it and so the family could see it.

“It had to fit within the level of service that we would offer to a family which we feel would be a very high level of service and certainly I wouldn’t offer anything that I wouldn’t accept myself.

“I would hate for anyone to arrive on the day of the funeral and realise it wasn’t what they wanted but it was perfect, the family were blown away by the whole thing.”

Cathy added: “We haven’t had the tractor for very long so we haven’t done any funerals with it yet.

“We bought it with the farming community in mind but again it will appeal to anyone looking for something that little bit different.”