ABOUT 2,000 people yesterday attended the funerals of the two young men who killed themselves last weekend in a suicide pact in Banbridge, Co Down.
The bodies of Mr Shane Rooney (17) and Mr Jason Clegg (24) were found close together at Solitude Park early on Sunday. A legally-held shotgun belonging to Mr Rooney's father was found beside them. They are believed to have been on a night out beforehand.
Another 17-year-old youth who was with them shortly before they killed themselves, and who thought they were joking when they had talked about a suicide pact, is still being treated for shock in hospital.
About 1,000 mourners, including hundreds of teenagers, attended Requiem Mass for Mr Rooney at St Patrick's Church. Father Jim Poland said the deaths had shocked the town and plunged it into darkness.
He described both young men as friendly, caring and outgoing. A life should not be judged by the way it ended, he said. Everybody who knew the pair was suffering great sadness and heartbreak, he added.
Mr Rooney's mother, Patricia, and grandmother, Doris, had to be supported by relatives as they followed the cortege.
About 1,000 people also attended the funeral of Mr Clegg.
He was buried at the New Cemetery after a private service at his Forthill Green home.
A Church of Ireland minister, the Rev John Scott, told the Clegg family to cherish their memories of Jason and urged the wider community not to judge him.