THE REMOVAL of Colm Harrington took place at 5pm yesterday from Harrington's funeral home in Castletownbere to the church on Bere Island.
He will be buried at Ballinakilla Cemetery on Bere Island following requiem Mass at noon today.
The death of 17-year-old Fintan O'Driscoll is the second tragedy to befall his family in the past two years and follows the death of his father, Gerard O'Driscoll (48), in a fishing tragedy at Pulleen Harbour some four miles west of Castletownbere in September 2006.
The family of one of the survivors of Saturday's tragedy, Cillian O'Sullivan from Lauragh, also suffered a devastating blow when his five-year-old brother, Finbarr, died after being dragged across rugged terrain by a donkey in October 2004.
Colm Harrington had survived a serious farming accident last year when he got caught in a baling machine, while a relative of Shane Kelly's was among the four men who died when the St Gervase trawler sank on rocks close to Mizen Head in November 2000.
Local Castletownbere councillor Noel Harrington said yesterday that the weekend tragedy had left people across the Beara peninsula in a state of sadness and shock as news spread of the latest deaths in the freak accident.
"It's a very, very sad day here today. Three families are very deeply affected by this tragedy and three different parishes are trying to come to terms with the tragedy.
"Our thoughts really go out to their families - this is affecting everybody very deeply in Castletownbere."
Parish priest Canon Patrick Sheehan said that because those on the peninsula were such a tightly knit community, the tragedy would be felt throughout the area, but that was also a source of strength in terms of helping people to grieve.
"There's a sense of numbness and shock here today. This is a tightly knit community, so the tragedy is deeply felt by everyone. But the plus side of that is that it means everyone rallies around to give a structure to the support and sympathy for the bereaved families," he said.
The remains of Fintan O'Driscoll will lie in repose at the family home at Foildarrig, Castletownbere, from 4pm-8pm today before being removed to the Church of The Sacred Heart in Castletownbere. He will buried at Droum Cemetery following requiem Mass at 2pm tomorrow.
The remains of Shane Kelly will be removed from Harrington's funeral home in Castletownbere at 8.30pm today to the church in Allihies, where he will be buried tomorrow following requiem Mass at noon.
