"January 4th, 2005, will long live in our memories. It was the day that at 2.30 p.m. in the afternoon, Robert and his BMX, armed with his new mobile phone, set off to meet his friends.
"I imagine that a young lad as exuberant as Robert would have tested that bike down Ballyedmond Hill. He would have come out from his beautiful home into the lovely surroundings of the countryside and taken the back road to the golf club. I imagine him sweeping around into that narrow road.
"What happened next we don't know but Robert vanished. Later on that evening, concern grew and this was to begin nine harrowing days for Mark, Majella and the family and the neighbours in Ballyedmond and quickly spread to the whole community, indeed even nationwide.
"News that Robert had gone missing sparked off the biggest search that this country has ever seen, with gardaí and rescue services, civil defence, the Army, first of all, our own local community and then, the much wider community, involved.
"Here in this church, prayers were said continually for Robert's safe return. For days, the search yielded nothing but as the days went on, we were becoming increasingly fearful, fearful of what became a reality on last Wednesday with news of the discovery at Inch Strand. January 4th, 2005, will be recalled and remembered for many years.
"One of my prayers today is that today, January 15th, will also be recalled because this afternoon, we gather around Robert, his family, his community and his friends and know that we have the prayers of, literally, the whole nation.
"Mark and Majella chose today to do what is right for Robert, bring him here for his Requiem Mass. They know themselves that they must start the long journey of looking to the future, of coping with their grief and in time, putting their lives back together again, and I know they will do this with the bravery and the courage that they have shown through all this harrowing time.
"Today we want to be, above all, a day of hope. Today is also a day of light despite the gloomy darkness outside. On Sunday last, at the vigil for Robert here, Mark and Majella lit what we have termed since Robert's Candle, and it burns here ever since at the foot of the altar, the candle of hope.
"During the past 12 days, we have witnessed and experienced something very special here in Midleton and the surrounding community. We began to see again the immense goodness in the person next to us, the bravery, the generosity, the determination and the sheer goodness of thousands of people.
"People who got involved in searching for Robert and others who were unable to search but provided refreshments on cold, wet and dreary days, contributions from local shops and businesses who lent their support and who, incidentally, have closed their doors and trade this afternoon.
"There is a tendency when we are celebrating the life of a young person that ends prematurely to dwell on what might have been and think what he has been deprived of. Maybe this is to ignore the precious years of his life, and Robert, in those short years, brought a joy and exuberance and a sense of fun through his sport, through the pony club and through, simply, being Robert.
"But maybe, my hope today is that his contribution will be a far wider one. . . he has helped us, even if only for a brief time, to rediscover human and Christian values and to be reassured that they still exist in our society. Maybe our challenge would be to honour Robert's memory by every one of us here doing everything we can to restore those values to society.
"In a telephone call yesterday evening, President Mary McAleese asked me to convey to the people of Midleton her admiration and her commendation of the extraordinary community response."
In his homily, Father O'Donovan also spoke of the hundreds of messages of support received by priests and others in Midleton since Robert disappeared.
He cited a message from a man in Drogheda who braved the storms of January 10th to join in the search.
He also shared the thoughts of a mother who lost her daughter in the Oklahoma bombing in the US.
He also relayed a message which he had received from a garda involved in the investigation who found himself guarding Robert's body the night he was found near Inch Strand.
"On Thursday, I had a call from a garda in Cork city. It was the day after Robert was found.
"He said 'I was one of two gardaí who kept watch with Robert last night. Because of the circumstances of preserving the scene, only one of us could be there at a time. I would like the parents to know that Robert wasn't alone last night. I spoke to him all the time.'
"And then he finished, 'I just wish I had a blanket to wrap around him'."