A large crowd of mourners congregated at the Sacred Heart Church in Cloghogue on the outskirts of Newry, Co Down yesterday for the funeral of the two young boys who drowned in a disused swimming pool on Friday.
A joint requiem Mass was held in the church for four-year-old Shea Laverty and two-year-old David Smith who died while playing together near their home at Ardaveen Mews in Newry.
Amid distressing scenes, the mourners processed behind two hearses carrying two white coffins to the church where they heard the parish priest, Rev Richard Naughton, speak of the "heartbreak and suffering" the boys' families were enduring.
Both families, who live two doors from each other, had recently moved into the area.
Shea Laverty, who would have been five next week, his younger brother who was unhurt, and David Smith found their way into a neighbour's house which has a disused private pool. It is understood that the pool was drained but the children drowned in rainwater that had gathered in the pool.
David Smith's father, Brian, discovered the two boys around 5 p.m. on Friday. He contacted the emergency services and on their instructions tried to give them mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
The boys were brought to Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry but were pronounced dead at 7 p.m.
Father Naughton told the mourners how Brian Smith desperately tried to save the boys and when he realised his efforts were futile gave farewell kisses to David and Shea.
"Brian, father of two-year-old David, who had jumped into the water, and with a child under each arm, brought them out of the water. Having given many farewell kisses to his own child, Brian went and gave a farewell kiss to little Shea," he said.
Father Naughton said the tragedy was every parent's greatest fear. "It is the fear of every parent that some danger might befall their child. When such a tragedy does occur people's heartfelt sympathy goes out to the parents and their prayers are that the parents may get the strength to cope and to go forward in life," he added.
To the grieving parents the priest said: "You have little angels in heaven who will always be seeking blessing upon blessing for you and your families." Father Naughton paid tribute to the emergency services and to the staff at Daisy Hill Hospital who were involved in trying to revive the two children.
He said that the doctors, nurses and paramedics "saw in these boys their own children and grandchildren and used all of their professional know-how in the hope of bringing the precious gift of life back into their bodies. It was not to be".
Bishop Gerard Clifford said the entire community was praying for the families.
David was buried in the cemetery beside the chapel and Shea was buried in a family plot in Coalisland, Co Tyrone.