THE DEATH of Daniel McAnaspie was “unnecessary and tragic”, social-justice campaigner Fr Peter McVerry said yesterday when he received the teenager’s remains at the Church of the Annunciation, Finglas, in Dublin.
“His life has been prematurely destroyed and a family devastated,” Fr McVerry added.
There was a large turnout of family, friends and neighbours to pay their respects to Daniel, whose body was found in a drain at Rathfeigh, Co Meath, on May 13th. A postmortem revealed Daniel had been stabbed to death.
His parents are dead and he had been in the care of the Health Service Executive since 2003. He failed to return to his accommodation on February 26th.
Fr McVerry said the lives of whose who murdered Daniel had also been destroyed.
“They have to live with their conscience and they will have to face the Lord.” The innocent families of those who perpetrated the crime also had their lives devastated, he said.
Fr McVerry, parish priest Fr Joe Connolly and Fr Piaras Mac Lochlainn received the remains, brought to the church in a horse-drawn carriage in heavy rain. The downpour did not deter some teenagers gathering outside the church from about a half an hour earlier, recalling their friend. Locally he was known as Dano, and a floral outline of those letters was among the tributes.
A montage of photographs was placed inside the church door. It contained the words, “Never forget you, Dano”.
The chief mourners were led by his grandmother, Christine McAnaspie. He is also survived by siblings Edward, Keith, Deano, Caitríona, Nikita and other relatives.
A notice on the church door urged locals to gather at the junction of Whitestown Grove and Avenue last night with “poems, prayers and reflections to commemorate Dano” and show solidarity with his grieving family. It was where he was last seen alive.
He will be buried in Glasnevin cemetery today after 11.15am Mass.
