More than 1,000 people attended the funeral yesterday of the third teenager drowned at Strandhill, Co Sligo, on Sunday. Tommy Coyle (18) was buried at Gurteen cemetery following Requiem Mass at St Patrick's Church, celebrated by the local parish priest, Father John Doherty.
In his sermon, the Bishop of Achonry, Dr Thomas Flynn, recalled how the teenager had nearly died in a cycling accident as a 13-year-old, shortly after his family had moved to the area from Clane, Co Kildare. He recovered to become a top sportsman and, like fellow victim Bobby Taylor (16), who was buried on Wednesday, had made it on to the Sligo minor football team.
Fellow students from St Nathy's College in Ballaghaderreen, where Tommy Coyle had been due to sit his Leaving Cert, as well as his GAA team-mates and locals, formed a guard of honour. The chief mourners were his parents Tom and Lil, older brothers Evan, Trevor, Darragh and Gavin, and young sister Lavina.