Two of the four people who died in Sunday morning's car crash in Fermanagh were buried yesterday.
The bodies of 16-year-old Anita Swift and Jonathan McDonald (21) were buried in the graveyard adjoining St Mary's Catholic church in Newtownbutler after separate Requiem Masses. They were back-seat passengers along with two others in a car that crashed near Lisnaskea early on Sunday morning.
The bodies of Danica O'Rourke (17) and Peter Leonard (21) will be buried later today after Requiem Masses in Lisnaskea.
Fr Michael King officiated at both funerals yesterday. The two coffins arrived at the church amid guards of honour from local schools and the GAA club. He told the packed church and hundreds more mourners listening outside the small village church that words did not exist to describe the shock and mourning of the community.
He described Anita Swift as "a little mouse" who started school afraid of everyone and who spoke to no one. "She turned into the most bubbly and outgoing superstar, leaving behind an unforgettable impression on everyone she met."
Addressing directly Mary-Agnes and Philip Swift, the dead girl's parents, and her brother and sisters Stephen, Jacqueline and Sandra, Fr King offered them the prayers and sympathy of the entire community and the support of the local clergy.
He detailed Anita's achievements at dancing including her all-Ireland and World championship victories as a line dancer. "She danced her way into our hearts," Fr King said.
Speaking at the funeral of Jonathan McDonald, he added that the community wanted to console the bereaved, especially the dead man's mother, Dot, his father, Kevin and his sister, Dana. Referring to the suddenness of the deaths, Fr King said: "Nothing is more inexplicable than the death of a young person."
The dead man was "a nice, young lad to know. He had lots of friends and was popular among his peers. He was loved by all." He prayed that the large extended family and the young man's many friends would receive "the strength and courage to cope" with the tragedy.
The parish priest also extended condolences from the Bishop of Clogher, Dr Joseph Duffy.