Riding Out in Style – Ireland’s Only Full Length Trike Hearse | Season 4 – Episode 97
Wheels Dec 20, 2024
A few years ago, lifelong motorcyclist Pat Noonan attended a biker friend’s funeral and although fellow bikers followed the standard hearse, Pat felt it didn’t truly reflect a biker’s final salute. From that moment, he began to think about a more fitting tribute—one that would become Ireland’s only full-length trike hearse.
A NEW PROJECT TAKES SHAPE
“I had a picture in my mind of what I wanted,” Pat recalls. Yet the concept remained just that until he enlisted friends and family.
His first recruit was his brother, Finbar, who helped retrieve the new purchase of a 1996 Ford Scorpio Ultima hearse. Next came the donor motorcycle: with help from Ronan Fogerty, Pat acquired a Champagne coloured 1988 Honda Goldwing 1500 Aspencade.
FROM CONCEPT TO IMAGE
The project now hit a snag: no one knew exactly what the finished trike hearse should look like. Pat’s friend, Aaron O’Driscoll, intervened. After photographing the hearse and Goldwing, he used Photoshop to merge them into a single guiding image. Hung in Pat’s workshop for many years, it provided constant direction and inspiration.
THE BUILD BEGINS
Pat cut the Ford hearse in half behind the front doors and also removed the chassis and original reinforcements—a mix of Ford’s factory work and modifications by renowned hearse builder Fearghas Quinn. Guided by Aaron’s photoshop image, Pat fabricated a carefully designed custom chassis built out of 2×2 box steel.
INTEGRATING THE GOLDWING
The Goldwing was next to be cut in half and then ‘seated’ onto the new chassis rails. Precision was vital: coded welder Chris Doran added reinforcing plates, and careful measurements ensured all wheels triangulated and aligned perfectly.
INNOVATIVE ENGINEERING
Pat incorporated clever design solutions. For easier maintenance, he built a lower left frame leg that can swing down, allowing rapid engine removal.
The Goldwing’s electric starter-based reverse wouldn’t work under the hearse body’s added weight. To fix this, Westfield Cars in England supplied a FR2000 forward-neutral-reverse gearbox. Matt Dearden fabricated the reverse linkages, control lever and shortened driveshaft, giving the trike hearse reliable reversing capability—no small feat of engineering.
FRONT END ENGINEERING
Handling mattered for a vehicle around 17–18 ft and a ton in weight. WASP Engineering in Hampshire, England, provided a “leading-link” front end (Earles forks), commonly used in heavy trikes and sidecar builds.
WOODWORK & BODYWORK
Pat’s carpentry skills integrated wooden framing seamlessly with metal. Thin aluminium composite panels created a smooth finish, while the rear door’s interior and exterior were also laminated with this aluminium sheeting.
John Harrington expertly filled and finished the body, and IG Car Solutions provided the classic black paint of a traditional hearse.
FINAL TOUCHES & FINISHING
The original Ford wiring loom was retained and integrated with the Honda’s electrical systems. Edwin Kearney Upholstery refreshed the interior with new headlining and fittings. Philip Slattery modified the rear lighting and created an oval logo for the rear door.
HITTING THE ROAD
After many years of meticulous work, Pat’s trike full length hearse was complete—the only one in Ireland. It marries the solemnity of a traditional hearse with the freedom of a motorcycle. Biker Chaplain Maurice Lynch blessed it before its first official journey.
Through his funeral service, Ride in Peace, Pat now offers a distinctive final journey appealing to both bikers and non-bikers. Transported around Ireland in a custom 6-meter trailer, the trike hearse testifies to creativity, technical skill and the enduring spirit of the biker community and it was built in Cork!
WHO TO THANK
Pat has a long list of those deserving special thanks for their expertise and motivation, including his brother Finbar of Finns Autospares, Arron O’Driscoll for giving Pat belief in his project and a great starting point with his photoshopped trike hearse. The welding skills of Chris Doran, and the bike buying, wood working and motivational skills of Ronan Fogerty. And not forgetting the recovery services of JP Geaney, upholstery by Edwin Kearney, Kieran Minihan for the ‘Ride in Peace’ logo on the side of the engine and Philip Slattery for his electrical and logo design skills and the list goes on and on..
Pat sums it up best – “The idea of one built by many”
Our thanks to Pat Noonan for his assistance with this story.
If you have an idea for a story, please email Kevin Reid [email protected]
Sources of Information and Photo Credits:
Rest In Peace
Motorcycle Parts Ireland
