Tributes paid at funerals of bus driver and priest killed in Cork collision

Warm tributes have been paid by family and friends at separate funeral masses on Saturday for a Bus Éireann driver and a priest who died when a bus veered out of control in a freak accident in the lower Cork harbour area earlier this week.

Father-of-two, Mark Wills (51) from Carrigdean in Ballincollig and Fr Con Cronin (72), a native of the Borlin Valley near Bantry and curate in the Harbour Parishes of Passage West and Monkstown, both died in the collision which happened in Monkstown at about 1.35pm on Tuesday.

It is believed that Mr Wills suffered a cardiac event and lost control of his Bus Éireann single-decker bus just as he was leaving Monkstown and the bus veered across the road knocking down Fr Cronin, who had just left the Bosun pub after lunch with parish secretary, Cathy Concannon.

Ms Concannon escaped injury as did a 13-year-old girl who was pushed to safety by her father as the bus careered into a number of parked cars on the waterfront in Monkstown. However, both Mr Wills and Fr Cronin were pronounced dead at the scene despite the best efforts of the emergency services.

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‘Selfless’

On Saturday mourners at Fr Cronin’s funeral mass at St Joseph’s Church in Coomhola, near Bantry, heard how Fr Cronin always thought of others and this was evident in his last action when he selflessly pushed Ms Concannon to safety just seconds before he was struck by the bus.

Fr Cronin's friend and area administrator for the St Patrick Missionaries, Fr Tomas O'Connor, told mourners that Fr Cronin sought to imitate Jesus Christ and live his life for others and he remained true to this generosity of spirit right until the very end.

“This was brought home very powerfully even at the moment of Con’s death, his last act was to push his friend from the path of the oncoming bus and thus save her life – sadly, he himself was unable to avoid the impact and he and Mark lost their lives,” said Fr O’Connor.

Fr Cronin had a unique ability to make and maintain friendship and one of the great hallmarks of his ministry as a priest both in Nigeria, where he ministered for 25 years, and the Harbour Parishes of Passage West and Monkstown was his indiscriminate welcome for everyone, said Fr O'Connor.

“Like Jesus whom he tried to imitate so mightily all his life, he understood the importance on inclusion... creed, race, gender or colour were not important for him – he treated everyone as an individual and helped everyone to be their true selves.”

Noting Fr Cronin had learned the value of hospitality at his family home at Derrynafinchin in the Borlin Valley, Fr O’Connor said Fr Cronin was able to lift people. “His rich, resonant and booming voice filled the room and made people feel at home – he was a real tonic for anyone feeling down.”

Bishop of Cork and Ross, Dr Fintan Gavin, told mourners led by Fr Cronin's brother, Teddy, and sisters-in-law Margaret and Mary, that Fr Cronin had urged him when he was appointed bishop to find new ways of reaching out, particularly to young people who no longer felt connected to the church.

Humanity

“The quiet ways in which Con touched so many lives – those people are feeling the loss of Con today – so many have been touched by his life and his ministry. His deep compassion, his humanity, his openness, he was so non-judgemental – it was at the heart of his ministry.”

Among those to attend the funeral in the small west Cork church were Fr Cronin's old classmate, Fr Kieran Murphy, family friend and Bishop of Meath, Dr Tom Deenihan, Fr Sean O'Sullivan of the Harbour Parishes as well as Canon Martin O'Driscoll and Fr John Heinhold of Bantry.

Fr Cronin’s nephew, Colm, said how he and other members of Fr Cronin’s family had met the family of bus driver Mark Wills in Monkstown at the scene of the accident and a strong bond had been forged between the two families which would endure and they were grateful for that.

He also paid tribute to the people of the Harbour Parishes who turned out in their droves on Friday evening to say their farewell to his uncle as they brought him back to his native west Cork for the journey to his final resting place in Kilmacomogue Cemetery.

“Con loved journeys and on his final journey down through the Harbour Parishes we were comforted by what we saw – so on this Con’s final journey, we believe for the first time he is really going home. Goodbye our friend, my hero, the man, the missionary, the people’s priest. Slán abhaile.”

Public tragedy

Earlier, at the Church of St Mary and St John in Ballincollig in Cork city, Brian Wills told mourners at the funeral mass for his brother, Mark, that the family had been "blown away" by the response and sympathy of the public to the tragedy.

Mr Wills thanked the emergency services and his brother’s Bus Éireann colleagues who rushed to his assistance when tragedy struck. “They did their best for Mark. Those three guys [who tended at the scene] came to see us this morning and they are very shook up. We are forever in their debt.”

"The support has been amazing over the last few days. The support has come from all over Ireland and that has carried us through. The Cronin family and the people of Passage West and Monkstown, they have been so good. We really are truly sorry for your loss."

Mr Wills said that Mark was a loved father who doted on his children, Cillian and Rebecca, and he vowed that the Wills family and the family of their mother Deirdre would always be there for them, even though he was heartbroken that Mark would miss all the milestone events in their lives.

‘Great camaraderie’

Mr Wills said they were heartened to hear stories of the “great camaraderie” that Mark shared with his fellow Bus Éireann employees. They were in keeping with the “loyal, fun and mischievous” brother he knew, he said.

Meanwhile, Cillian Wills said that the whole event was "surreal" and that they were trying to process what had occurred. He said his father was so proud of his family and he had happy childhood memories of going fishing with his father and "ending up with nothing" to bring home.

“I hope he is up there now and he is as proud of us as we are of him. It is tough but I am going to be strong for him because that is what he would want... I can’t believe it. It is surreal. It felt like a movie on Tuesday. I can’t wrap my head around it. I love him [Mark] and that will never stop.”

Bishop of Cork and Ross, Dr Fintan Gavin and Fr Sean O’Sullivan, paid their respects at the start of mass which was celebrated by Fr Cian O’Sullivan who said that the Cronin and Wills families were united in their grief. He said he had “no answers” as to why tragedy had come to their door.

Fr O’Sullivan said Mr Wills had to work during the height of the pandemic and had served his community well. “Mark’s life, and particularly his role as a bus driver, is one of those roles in our community which is so, so vital,” he said.

“Lots of people think they’re important because of the jobs they do but certainly the service that bus drivers give, not just now, but certainly during the start of our pandemic, going to work, putting their lives at risk, welcoming people into their bus, the work of a bus driver is not just getting from A to B.

“You need to have certain qualities and patience to drive those routes every day,” said Fr O’Sullivan before sympathising with the mourners which, in addition to Mr Wills’ children also included his parents, Stephen and Madeline and his siblings, Gwen, Stephen, Brian and Ken.