Teenager Kirsty Bohan was remembered as a sociable, creative and joyful person at her funeral Mass in Co Galway on Friday.
Members of the Headford community and others from beyond gathered to pay tribute to the 14-year-old and to offer sympathy to her family and friends following their unexpected loss.
Kirsty and her schoolmate, Lukas Joyce (14), died in a road crash in the early hours of Monday and two other teenagers remain in hospital being treated for injuries they sustained in the incident.
Crowds gathered on the road outside St Patrick and St Couna Church to say farewell to the second-year student at Presentation College Headford, with members of her camogie club and school forming a guard of honour as the funeral procession passed.
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Inside the church, parish priest Fr Dixy Faber paid tribute to Kirsty, who he described as someone who “loved life”.
Several symbols were brought up to the altar to commemorate Kirsty’s personality and interests. The first was her make-up bag, and a bottle of her favourite perfume to represent her “creative talent and love of beauty”.
“Kirsty had no problem getting up at 7.30 on a school morning so she could look her best. But even though she was always the first one up, she was always the last one out the door,” the congregation was told.
A Sylane jersey and a hurl from her local club was also placed on the altar, a sport which Kirsty had played since she was six. On Thursday of last week, Kirsty wore the number seven jersey in her last game.
‘Natural talent’
A toy tractor and truck, representing her love for machinery and her father’s career; one of her paintings, as she was a “natural talent”; and her headphones were also brought to the altar, with mourners being told of her love for musicians Amy MacDonald and Taylor Swift, in particular.
Instead of a eulogy, a rendition of one of Kirsty’s favourite songs – This is the Life by Amy McDonald – was played.
According to Fr Faber, Kirsty “was very creative, was very talented, and she loved to be in the company of her friends”.
“She was joyful, lively and she enjoyed the company of her friends. Her dad Christy told a story when Kirsty was late for school and one day her father turned to her, pretending he would send her to Ballinrobe school [in Mayo] if she did not hurry up. Then she said, ‘Dad, I’d have friends there too’,” Fr Faber told the Mass.
“She was drawn to people and people were drawn to her. She was creative and she had a love for painting. Now she will be painting in heaven. She’ll have lots of work.”
Black out
Fr Faber compared the loss of Kirsty to experiencing an unexpected black out. One moment, people are in light and smiling, and the next, they have been plunged into darkness with no warning or chance to prepare.
“Kirsty died in a tragic accident. To her family and friends, we all want to gather around you, to support you. We want to pray with you for Kirsty. We offer our most heartfelt sympathies to Kirsty’s family and friends, to those who love her and mourn her. May she rest in peace,” he added.
Kirsty is survived by her parents Christy and Theresa, and her sisters Martha and Ava. The funeral of Lukas Joyce, who also died in the crash, will take place at St Brendan’s Church, Annaghdown on Saturday.
