Funeral of man who attempted to stop car thieves takes place in Roscommon

The wife and children of Ian McDonnell who lost his life after he attempted to prevent his car being stolen in west Dublin, have paid tribute to his qualities as a much-loved husband and a father.

Mr McDonnell (50) suffered catastrophic injuries during the theft of his car at Robinhood Road near the car dealership which he managed, and died at Tallaght Hospital five days later on January 28th.

Speaking at his funeral mass in St Patrick’s Church, Elphin, Co Roscommon on Tuesday, Mr McDonnell’s wife Monica said he was a much loved husband and “the ground has become very fragile beneath me” .

Outlining how they had met in Elphin and married before moving to Dublin and joyously bringing their three children into the world, she said the “greatest evil I could ever imagine” had “ passed through our lives”.

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But she said “what has surpassed that viciousness has been the existence of the greatest good, the outpouring of kindness” which had come from family, friends and neighbours.

She hoped she could continue “to nurture, care and guide Clodagh, Gareth and Aoife to be the best people they can become”, she said.

Ms Mc Donnell also read tributes from her children: Clodagh remembering a father who delighted in driving her to football matches on Sunday mornings; Gareth who remembered their mutual support for Manchester United and working for his dad cleaning cars and Aoife who remembered family holidays to Co Clare and swimming in the Atlantic.

Welcoming the mourners from Lucan and Roscommon, retired parish priest of Elphin Fr John J Gannon thanked the choir of Lucan Community School where Clodagh and Gareth were pupils. The Choir had travelled to sing at the requiem mass, he said.

Fr Gannon said it was with “a heavy heart that I greet you on my own behalf and behalf of a sorrowing community as we gather around a family so sorely bereaved with the untimely death of a father and a husband, and a devoted member of the community”.

Fr Gannon said the congregation came “to pray and to commend the soul of a gentleman into the eternal custody of the God he loved so well.”

Fr Gannon said the manner of Mr McDonnell’s death had “left us almost speechless, unaccustomed as we are to events like this”. However he said “life does not end when the body ceases to breathe”.

Mr McDonnell was laid to rest afterwards in Caldra Cemetery Co Roscommon.

Gardaí are understood to be following a definite line of enquiry in relation the the theft of Mr McDonnell’s car.