Hundreds of mourners gathered in a rural village in Co Meath for the funeral of one of the five young people who died in a car crash in Co Louth at the weekend.
A group of friends were travelling in a Volkswagen Golf to Dundalk for a night out on Saturday when the car crashed.
Alan McCluskey (23), from Drumconrath in Co Meath and his girlfriend Chloe McGee (23), from Carrickmacross in Co Monaghan were among those travelling in the car who were killed.
Their friends Dylan Commins (23), from Ardee in Co Louth; Shay Duffy (21), from Carrickmacross in Co Monaghan; and Chloe Hipson (21), from Bellshill, Lanarkshire, Scotland also died.
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Mourners were told that there is “incomprehension” at the death of Alan, who was a “caring” friend and farm worker.
Ahead of his funeral on Friday, dozens of tractors lined the main street of Drumconrath and crowds gathered along the streets of the village.
Family members placed their hands on the wooden coffin, bearing a yellow sign with Alan’s name on it, as it was carried into the packed church.
President Catherine Connolly and several local politicians were among the mourners at Peter and Paul’s Church.
Local parish priest Father Finian Connaughton told mourners that he was holding a baptism ceremony in the church as the “horrible news” of the crash was breaking last Sunday.
He said that he baptised Alan, and was there for his first communion and confirmation. He said the sense of disappointment and loss at his death was “beyond words”.
The community had gathered in grief, anger and confusion, and “carrying a burden that at times, seems unmanageable and almost overwhelming”, he said.
“Even as we carry out the funeral rituals, there is still an air of disbelief, incomprehension that this is happening, happening to someone who sat in these benches two Sundays ago, someone we saw driving his van down the street a very short time ago.”
For the symbols, Alan’s parents Martin and Bernie brought up photos of the family and of Alan with his girlfriend Chloe to represent “the people he loved most, who shaped him, supported him and meant everything to him”, his brother-in-law Conleth McAlinden said.
Alan’s work boots, his hard hat and his favourite tape were brought up to represent “the work that Alan loved so much” and “the passion he had for doing a job well”.
A yellow licence plate made by Alan’s friends represented his love for cars and machinery; his pint glass for “the craic he had with the boys”; and his favourite shirts for nights out were also brought up.
Models of a teleporter, a John Deere and farmyard animals were brought up to represent his love of farming and the work “that brought him so much pride and joy”.
An Emirates plane ticket and photos of him travelling showed his love for “experiences and seeing the world” and his drumsticks and some of his records, including those of Luke Combs, ACDC and Christy Moore, represented his love for music and the soundtrack to so many moments in his life.
Fr Connaughton said that Alan was religious, and attended mass most Sundays.
“Other stories I heard over the past few days show a very caring side to his nature. Ever on the lookout for lads that might be mixing with the wrong company,” he said.
“In the house the other morning, I was asking Martin, just trying to pick up bits and pieces I could talk about today. I said to Martin, ‘You mentioned something there about looking after lads, what did you mean by that?
“The next thing a young fellah from the end of the door said “he saved me”. And I said, “what’s the story?“. He said “I was only after starting in secondary school and I got in with the wrong crowd and was heading in the wrong direction.
“Alan took me aside and said ‘Now you leave those crowd, get your self sorted out’.
“I said ‘What age were you then?’ ‘Fourteen.’ ‘What age was Alan?’ ‘Fourteen’.”
“Even at that stage, on the lookout for his friends.”
A funeral is to be held for Dylan Commins at Church of the Nativity of Our Lady in Ardee later on Friday.
The funerals of Chloe McGee and Shay Duffy will be held in Co Monaghan on Saturday. – PA
