A KINAHAN cartel member came out of hiding for his grandfather’s funeral today as armed gardai kept a close eye on the day.

Convicted armed robber Ross Browning, 35, fled the country last year despite Daniel Kinahan wanting him to stay put and continue working for the cartel.

Sources say the former senior mobster, who claims to have turned his back on crime after “finding God”, has been moving between boltholes in Amsterdam, France and the UK as he remains wanted by rival gangsters.

Browning returned to support family and friends as they mourned the death of his granddad Willie Conway after he passed away “tragically” in Portugal earlier this month.

He was nowhere to be seen as mourners gathered at the Hardwicke Street Flats in Dublin‘s north inner city before bidding farewell to Willie, who wasn’t involved in crime.

However, he was on hand to lift the coffin at the nearby Gardiner Street Church ahead of the funeral.

Around 140 family and friends then celebrated Willie’s life in the Clontarf Castle, in a do believed to have cost around €12,000.

A source told the Irish Sun: “Ross has been a trusted lieutenant of the Kinahan’s for many years and is suspected of being heavily involved in some high-profile gang activity in the past.

“He was around with family on Dorset Street in the last couple of days to pay his respects, but he knows he can’t be in places where people expect him to be.

“There are rivals who want him dead and it’s one of the main reasons he spends so little time in Dublin.

“He may have concerns about his safety but he was there lifting the coffin of his grandfather regardless.”

Armed gardai from the Organised Crime Unit remained close at all times, with local detectives also keeping a close eye on proceedings.

It’s not known how Browning’s granddad passed away, but family described it as a tragedy while away on holidays.

An RIP.ie notice said: “The death has occurred of William (Willie) Conway (Raheny and formerly of Hardwicke Street) 9th November 2018 tragically in Portugal.

“Willie, beloved partner of Veronica, very sadly missed by Ellen and his children Mary, Julie, Deborah, Willie, Jeffery, Michael, Leslie, Fiona and Glen, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, relatives and a large circle of friends.

“Rest in Peace.”

The family asked that people donate to the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust, a charity set up to ease the financial hardship of bereaved families in bringing home the bodies of loved-ones who died abroad.