President Mary McAleese and Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea were among an estimated 1,000 mourners at the military funeral of Cadet David Jevens who was laid to rest in Barntown Co Wexford this afternoon.
The 21-year-old Air Corps pilot died with his instructor Capt Derek Furniss (32) when their aircraft crashed into a hillside in Connemara, Co Galway earlier this week.
The body of Cadet Jevens was brought from his home some 3km away in Glynn on a gun carriage this morning. At St Alphonsus Church, Barntown, the cortége was led through a guard of honour of 100 Air Corps members as a brass band from the First Southern Brigade played the Celtic Lament.
The coffin, draped in a tricolour and Cadet Jevens's ceremonial hat, was carried into the church by a bearer party made up of cadets from his senior class, who wore black armband in his honour.
President McAleese and Dr Martin McAleese met privately with the family before the funeral mass began. Among the family gathered were his mother and father Liz and Donal, his sister Sarah, his brother Christopher, his girlfriend Niamh and four grandparents.
Speaking at the funeral, Donal Jevens said the initial feelings of “disbelief and total and utter sadness had changed to the grim reality that David is gone.”
“Ever since David was eight or nine he had one goal and that was to be an Air Corps pilot, nothing else would have satisfied him, it wasn't just flying it had to be the military way,” he said.
His son “died living his dream but there are no regrets at all. He wouldn't have changed anything and neither would we,” he said.
He spoke of nights spent stargazing with his son. “David always talked about that he wanted to be up there some day, and he did and he is right now looking down on us”
Celebrant Fr Pat Stafford parish priest of Glynn said Cadet Jevens had “died before his time and had lived life to the full “ and had been a servant to us all.
“When you look up in the sky don't see tragedy, see peace, joy, love and happiness. If you do that it will be in the spirit of David,” Fr Stafford said.
Among those gathered were General Officer Commanding the Air Corps Brigadier General Ralph James, the Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy, Chief of Staff Lieutenant Dermot Earley, Bishop of Ferns Denis Breen, local Labour TD Brendan Howlin and local Fianna Fail TD Sean Connick.
Also present were members of the Glynn and Barntown GAA club for whom Cadet Jevens previously played both football and hurling. Many members of the Navy, the Army, the Air Corps, the Gardai and the FCA were also in attendance.
Cadet Jevens was buried in the cemetery adjoining Barnstown church. His mother, father, siblings and girlfriend Niamh all placed a white rose on his coffin. A firing party of eleven Air Corps members fired shots into the air as he was buried and overhead two helicopters formed a military flypast.
A special prayer was said for Capt Derek Furniss during the funeral mass.
The memorial service for Capt Derek Furniss (32), from south Dublin takes place tomorrow at St John the Evangelist Church, Ballinteer Road, Dublin, with burial afterwards at Kilmashogue Cemetery.
Capt Furniss is survived by his parents, Paula and Owen Furniss, two sisters, Jane and Susan, and partner Lesley Byrne.