Footballs, jerseys and a scarf, an Oasis CD and a birthday card were some of the symbols offered at the funeral Masses yesterday of two of the three teenagers drowned at Strandhill in Co Sligo on Sunday. They were reminders of the short lives and interests of the young men.
Huge crowds attended the separate funerals of 17-year-old Michael Higgins in Culfadda and Bobby Taylor (16) in Gurteen, two villages in south Sligo. The third young man, Tommy Coyle (18), will be buried today after Requiem Mass at noon in Gurteen. Hundreds took part in the removal of his body last night to St John's church.
A fourth teenager Lawrence Cooke, who was rescued, remained in Sligo General Hospital where he was described as making good progress.
At the first concelebrated Requiem Mass yesterday, led by the parish priest, Father Jim Finan, Michael's deeply upset classmates from Colaiste Mhuire in Ballymote lined the sides of the packed church.
The Bishop of Achonry, Dr Thomas Flynn, described the teenagers' deaths as a terrible blow to the local community and a loss to their parish and county football teams. Michael's interest in sport was remembered with his GAA jersey draped over the coffin and his football and scarf presented as Offertory gifts. The Taoiseach was represented by his aide-de-camp, Capt Michael Kiernan, and the Church of Ireland Bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achonry, Dr Richard Henderson, also attended. Chief Supt Bill Donoghue and Supt Jim Sheridan, both of Sligo, and Supt Tom Gallagher, of Ballymote, represented the gardai involved in the search operation at the weekend. The Naval Service divers involved were represented by Lieut Kenneth Minihane.
As Michael's parents, sister and two brothers led the mourners from the church to Knockbrack cemetery, the only sound to be heard was the weeping of mourners as they left the village which had been closed down.
The emotional ceremony was repeated just over an hour later for Bobby Taylor in Gurteen. His coffin was draped with three jerseys, those of his GAA team, Eastern Harps, his soccer team, Gurteen Celtic, and the Sligo minor county team. At the concelebrated Mass, the parish priest, Father John Doherty, said he was a fun-loving teenager and a rising star in Sligo football".
The Offertory gifts were a football, a birthday card to mark his 17th birthday which would have been on Tuesday, a hammer to symbolise his work in construction with his father and brothers, a book for his years in school, a photo of him and a CD of the rock group Oasis.
After Communion and the song Forever Friends, Bobby's aunt read a reflection about the death of a child, and a cousin recited a poem written by a friend.
Bobby's father, Mr Robert Taylor, and brothers Paul and Tony carried his coffin, while his mother Margaret and sister Karen hugged each other. Almost 1,000 people followed the cortege on the half-mile journey to Gurteen cemetery for burial.
