The Bishop of Galway Michael Duignan said that the deaths of three teenagers on the outskirts of the city last weekend when their car entered the river Corrib had shocked the whole country.
Bishop Duignan, speaking at the funeral of the youngest of the three victims, 16-year old John Keenan Sammon, said it was difficult to come to terms with the triple tragedy.
He offered his sympathy to the teenager’s family, and also the families of Christy Stokes (19) and Wojcieck Panek (17) who died in the incident which happened near Menlo Pier in the early hours of Saturday morning.
“Words at times like this fail us. They are shallow and incapable of expressing the depth of sadness and loss. I would just like to assure Elizabeth and John’s family and his friends that we are with you in these almost unbearable times. John’s life, with so much hope, was cut short suddenly,” said Bishop Duignan.
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A keen boxer, John Keenan Sammon was due to go to England next week to his older brother Martin, with whom he had spent last summer getting work experience.
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[ Three teenagers dead after car enters water in GalwayOpens in new window ]
He had won a county boxing championship two weeks ago and members of his Olympic Boxing Club formed a guard of honour as his coffin was brought to the Church of the Resurrection in Ballinfoyle for his funeral in a white carriage with four white horses.
Sympathy was expressed to his parents Elizabeth and John and his siblings Kathleen, Aoife, Martin, Kelly, Damien, Julianne and Thomas.
One of his boxing coaches, Mike Mongan, said that he was known as “a gentle giant” who trained hard and had a promising boxing career, having joined the Olympic Boxing Club when he was ten.
His boxing gloves and boots and club jacket were among the items brought to the altar in the packed church where hundreds of mourners were told by Fr Kevin Blade, who knew the teenager since he was a baby, that the deaths had caused widespread grief throughout the country.
“This church has seen many sad, tragic funerals, but few have been as profoundly sad and sorrowful as the funerals of two young parishioners and the tragic death of three young people. It has shocked all of Galway, indeed all of the country,” said Fr Blade.
He said that John had made a huge impact in his short life. “We all knew John was a unique and extraordinary young lad, full of life and vitality. He was gentle in his relationships with others, gifted with a good sense of humour and attentive to the needs of others.”
Fr Blade said he had spent time with the family on Monday and John’s mother Elizabeth was keen to thank his national school St Francis’ in Tirellan and Moneenageisha secondary school for all they did for him.
Dozens of mourners wore blue T-shirts with John’s photograph, while others carried large photographs of him and his friend and boxing colleague Christy Stokes.
Traffic in Galway came to a standstill as the horse-drawn carriage made its way across the Quincentenary Bridge over the river Corrib where the three teenagers died, and John Keenan Sammon was laid to rest at Rahoon Cemetery.
His friend Christy Stokes will also be buried there after his funeral mass at the Church of the Resurrection in Ballinfoyle on Thursday.
The third victim of the tragedy, Wojciech Panek from Graiguenamanagh in Kilkenny, will be cremated on Friday.