THE DEATHS of two young men killed in a double road tragedy in Co Limerick last weekend brings to 11 the number of young people from the same community killed in road fatalities in the past decade.
Hundreds of mourners gathered at St John the Baptist Church in Hospital, Co Limerick yesterday for the funeral Mass of John Swords jnr (21), who was buried afterwards in the same cemetery as his childhood friend, Ollie Kearney (22).
The two were killed just hours after the christening of John’s baby daughter Alex last Sunday morning when the car they were travelling in struck the church wall in the village of Knocklong.
The young victims were past pupils of John the Baptist Community School in Hospital where 11 past pupils have now been killed on Irish roads in as many years.
Ironically, the school has for many years been at the forefront of campaigns highlighting the dangers of Irish roads and recently it won the Young Social Innovator award for its efforts.
“Each accident brings it all back again and it’s very difficult on the families who have suffered bereavement in the past few years as it brings it all out in the open again,” explained school principal Jim Twohig. “It’s a very difficult time and particularly with the effects it has on the students. After one of these accidents there is absolute silence in the school. It’s eerie when you have the same atmosphere in the church, the silence and sobbing,” he added.
Mr Twohig said last weekend’s road incident was particularly sad as both victims’ mothers are on the staff at the school. John Swords’s mother is school secretary, while Ollie Kearney’s mother works as a special needs assistant.
Locals were living a “nightmare”, according to local parish priest Fr Seán Fennelly. “The last two days we’ve had two childhood friends, two young men, two coffins and a score of lives broken up as a result,” said Fr Fennelly.
“It’s just been an awful time for the community, particularly as Ollie was an only child and John is an only son who had just christened his first-born baby earlier on the day he was killed. It’s tragedy compounded by more tragedy and a nightmare to be honest,” he added.
“Young people are not supposed to die, you are supposed to have a long life and then die at the end of that. . . People sometimes forget that the road is a dangerous place and it can be unforgiving and merciless and very often you don’t get a second chance,” he added.