Full Breakdown
Paul Ferris Funeral Draws Over 100 Attendees, Including Notable Figures
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: Funeral of Former Glasgow Gangster Paul Ferris
Former Glasgow gangster Paul Ferris, who died at age 62 on October 6, was laid to rest this week in a ceremony attended by more than 100 mourners. The service took place at a crematorium in the Glasgow area, with humanist celebrant Tony Welsh leading an hour-long tribute. Ferris’s sons, Paul and Dean, served as pallbearers and carried the coffin into the hearse.
Background & Context
Ferris built a reputation in the 1990s as a violent enforcer in Glasgow’s underworld. He was tried for the 1992 murder of Arthur Thompson Jr. but was acquitted after a 54-day trial. Convictions for gun-running led to a 1998 jail term. After his release he claimed to have gone straight for the last 25 years, a claim highlighted during the funeral. He authored several memoirs, beginning with *Ferris Conspiracy*, and his life inspired the BAFTA-winning film *The Wee Man* starring Martin Compston.
Key Figures & Groups
- Paul Ferris — former Glasgow gangster, author, subject of *The Wee Man*.
- Johnny “Mad Dog” Adair — ex-UDA boss, attended.
- Alex Arthur — former world-champion boxer, attended.
- Paul Brannigan — actor slated to portray Ferris in an upcoming film, attended.
- Tony Welsh — humanist celebrant who led the service.
- Paul and Dean Ferris — sons, served as pallbearers.
Timeline
- 1992 – Ferris tried for the murder of Arthur Thompson Jr.; acquitted.
- 1998 – Ferris jailed in England for gun-running.
- 2002 – Involved in a knife fight with rival Tam McGraw.
- 2013 – *The Wee Man* released, based on Ferris’s memoirs.
- October 6 – Ferris dies at age 62.
- Week of funeral (2024) – Service held; over 100 mourners attend.
Data & Statistics
- Age at death: 62.
- Attendance: more than 100 mourners.
- Service length: approximately one hour.
- Musical selections: “I Won’t Back Down” (Tom Petty), “Brothers in Arms” (Dire Straits), and Elton John’s “Your Song.”
- Floral tributes spelling “legend” and “dad.”
On-the-Ground Reports
Mourners dressed in black formed a procession led by a bagpipe player. The cortege entered the crematorium while a piper played, and attendees bowed as the Ferris family carried the coffin. Screens displayed photographs of Ferris set to the Dire Straits track. Welsh referenced Ferris’s childhood bullying in Glasgow’s Blackhill area and joked about sharing a surname with the “Welsh family.” He noted that Ferris was now reunited with his parents and close friends Joe Hanlon and Bobby Glover, both killed in gangland violence in the early 1990s.
Official Statements & Responses
Welsh framed the service as a celebration of Ferris’s love for his children and his “colourful life,” emphasizing that his criminal past was not being white-washed while images of Ferris and his family were shown.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
The exact date of the funeral is not specified in the available sources, and details about the cause of Ferris’s death remain undisclosed. No alternative accounts of attendance numbers or ceremony elements have been reported, leaving those aspects unverified beyond the single reported figure of “over 100” mourners.