The first of the funerals for victims of the Kerry car crash that killed four teenagers took place this morning.
Several hundred mourners gathered at Castleisland Parish Church for the requiem mass of Áine O’Riordan (15) from St John’s Park, Castleisland
Áine, her boyfriend David Breen (17), his brother Kevin (15), and another friend, Brian Coffey (19), were killed when the car they were travelling in crashed into a tree outside Killarney early on Wednesday morning.
A fifth person in the car, Darragh Jones (16), from Farranfore, Co Kerry, is in a stable condition at Kerry General Hospital.
Castleisland curate Fr Michael Moynihan said this morning Áine’s friends would forever remember a “bright, intelligent girl” who had a passion for art and sport.
“For Áine’s schoolmates, life will never be the same without her. It is important to talk to each other and to pray for Áine who was very much part of your lives,” he told mourners.
Fr Moynihan said she fitted a huge amount in to her life which was cut so tragically short.
“We pray in silence but also in hope that death is not the end but the beginning of a new life - eternal life. Our hearts go out to Áine’s parents at this time of great loss. Every parent expects to see their children in to adulthood as children would expect to see their parents in to old age. But this is not to be for Aine’s family.”
Fr Moynihan read a message of condolence from President Mary McAleese.
Offertory gifts at the mass included glitter symbolising Áine’s love of art and grafitti, a football to signfify her fondness for sport, and a hooded top which formed part of her St Joseph’s Secondary school tracksuit.
A black ribbon was placed on the gate of the school prior to the mass. Áine was due to take her Leaving Certificate this year.
She was laid to rest at Clogher Cemetery in Ballymacelligot in a white coffin inscribed with handwritten messages from her friends.
David and Kevin Breen are being removed from O’Shea’s Funeral Home in Killarney at 6.30pm tonight to St Mary’s Cathedral with funeral mass at 10.30am tomorrow and burial at Holy Cross Cemetery in Kilcummin.
Brian Coffey’s remains are being removed from his house to Fossa Church at 11am tomorrow for funeral mass with burial afterwards at Aghadoe Cemetery outside Killarney.
Gardaí investigating the car crash are focusing their inquiries on how the teenagers came to be in the car at the time of the crash.
They are trying to establish how the five teenagers involved in the crash came to be in possession of the 10-year-old Hyundai Accent as it was on loan from a garage to another teenager at the time while his own car was being repaired.
However senior gardaí admitted that it was a difficult investigation to pursue given the tragedy which unfolded and officers are approaching the matter with sensitivity and will wait until the four deceased are buried before carrying out in-depth inquiries.