Hundreds of mourners attended the funeral yesterday of the Co Limerick youth who collapsed and died on a GAA field last Friday. Gary Buicke (17), a goalkeeper with the Castlemahon/Feohanagh club, is believed to have died from a heart attack on the pitch in Coolyroe.
He was training with his team mates when he fell, before 8.30 p.m. The apprentice electrician was pronounced dead on arrival at the MidWest Regional Hospital in Limerick.
The funeral Mass at St Mary's Church, in Feohanagh, was celebrated by Father James Hudner. His team mates and members of Broadford Soccer Club provided a guard-of-honour.
The coffin was draped in the GAA club's blue and white, and the white and maroon of Broadford soccer club. The burial took place in Springfield cemetery.
This was the second sporting tragedy in the region in just over a week. On April 7th Michael Murphy (18), from Cratloe, Co Clare, died when playing for his club against Ballyea, in the Clare under21 hurling championship in Newmarket-on-Fergus.