A 17-year-old girl who died at a musical festival in Belfast last weekend will be remembered for being “feisty, loving and full of life”, mourners at her funeral Mass have heard.
Mia Keevan from Carrick-on-Suir, Co Tipperary, had been attending the Emerge Music Festival in Boucher Road Fields, south Belfast, when she became suddenly unwell last Sunday.
She was taken to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment but died a short time later.
In a eulogy on Saturday, her older sister Kyah told the congregation in St Nicholas’ Church that she was “honoured” to speak on behalf of “everyone who loved her”.
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Kyah thanked the community “for everything” that had been done for them over the past week. “It’s amazing to see the people of Carrick-on-Suir and beyond” help them in their “time of need”, she said.
“Mia was feisty, loving and full of life. She could eat you without salt and tell you exactly what she thought whether you wanted to hear it or not. If she didn’t like your outfit you would know about it. That was honestly part of her charm.
“Mia was unique and that’s what made her so special. She had a way of making everyone laugh and no matter how annoyed you were at her you couldn’t stay mad for long. She ran her own life always on her terms and we loved that about her.”
Kyah said her younger sister had “big dreams,” and visiting her in Australia was one of those. “There were always new ones (dreams) popping into her head every single minute.”
She told the Mass how Mia “loved beauty, lashes, nails and of course her vapes. There was never a time she didn’t have one in her hand.
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“Just recently she bought her first car and it was her absolute pride and joy, although it might have needed some work.”
Her older sister described how, over the past months, Mia was the happiest she had ever been.
“Everything was falling into place and some of her dreams had come through. Her car, her boyfriend Jack, and she was so close to her 18th birthday. We fought like every family does, but she never held a grudge. We could argue one minute and the next she would be chatting away about something else. She loved deeply, and when she did you felt it. She was fiercely loyal and you were only her true friend if she hadn’t blocked you (on social media) at some point,” Kyah continued.
Reflecting on Mia’s death, she said: “What happened to her was tragic and in no way can we make sense of it. Her spirit, her laughter, her honesty, her dreams and her love will never leave us. She lived her life boldly and she made an impact on everyone who knew her. Rest easy Mia, you will always be with us.”
Symbols of the teenager’s life presented during the Mass included a photo of Mia, her car keys, a vape, false lashes and nails, her fake tan and a set of hair straighteners.
Parish Priest Fr Paul Waldron in his homily said: “Mia was not one who went quietly through life; she ran, she danced, she climbed, maybe sometimes she climbed to some places she shouldn’t climb and do things she shouldn’t do. She was always chasing what mattered.”
He recounted how her family were telling him that she was “a lovable rogue”.
“She has left behind a legacy for all of us far bigger than her 17 years. Mia’s life had its ups and downs like all of (as) she lost her father.”
However, he warned young people in the congregation to be careful about the choices they make.
“I want to talk to you and Mia’s family want to talk to you as well. We just want you to be careful, watch out for yourselves, be cautious, to think about the choices that we make, to be there for each other – and that’s what we want for you. They (Mia’s family) asked me to say that.”
Her burial took place after her funeral Mass in St Mary’s cemetery.
On Friday the PSNI urged the public to refrain from speculation following the deaths of Mia and 24-year-old Trae Keenan from Newcastle, Co Down, as both had attended a music festival in Belfast last weekend.
Mr Keenan fell ill in rented accommodation in south Belfast and later died last Sunday. A few hours earlier he had attended the Saturday evening session of the two-day music festival.
Mia is survived by her mother Debbie, sisters Kyah, Jade and Sophia, her best friend Philly, her grandparents Marie and Eddie, Angela and Noel, and Tonnie; her boyfriend Jack, her sisters’ partners Jamie and Nathan, best friends Ella, Jayden and Keeley, aunts, uncles, extended family and her wide circle of friends.
Mia was predeceased by her father Alan and aunt Jacinta.
