Society must increase its efforts to understand the depair young men sometimes feel, a priest has told mourners at the funeral of three young brothers who died in North Cork last week.
Fr Tom Naughton told mourners at the requiem Mass for nine-year-old twins Thomas and Patrick O’Driscoll and their older brother, Jonathan (21) that young men today often find themselves plunged into a world of darkness and desperation.
The twin brothers were found dead at home in Deerpark, Charleville, last Thursday by neighbours after the alarm was raised by their younger brother, Jimmy (5). They died after sustaining multiple stab wounds.
Their brother Jonathan was found dead that evening beside the Awbeg River in Buttevant, som 15kms away. Gardai believe he killed his brothers before taking his own life.
“We are all questioning so many things and, no doubt, we’ll never find the complete answers at this side of the grave,” said Fr Naughton at the service, which was attended by hundreds of mourners in the Holy Cross Church in Charleville.
“But if these days have taught us anything at all, they challenge us to continue and to increase our efforts to understand and to assist, especially young males, to communicate the darkness that seems to be increasingly troubling young minds and hearts.
“It is possible that we have never had more activities and recreations, all sorts of noises and acquaintances around us yet, at the same time, it seems that never have people been so lonely and lonesome.
“Why is this the case and what must we do to regain the simple joy of a serene and peaceful mind?” he asked as members of the O’Driscoll family consoled the boys’ parents, Tom and Helen and their other children, Bernadette, Jimmy and Martin.
Turning towards the boys’ parents, Fr Naughton spoke of how the tragedy had prompted an outpouring of sympathy not just in Charleville and Co Cork but across the entire island of Ireland, with many trying to share “the pain that they hold in their hearts”.
He added: “We know that this is impossible to do yet our desire is truly sincere because we really would, if we could, take at least some of your pain, Helen and Thomas, so that you don’t have to carry it all alone.
“In this brief period, many emotions have being burning in the hearts and minds of fathers and mothers, not only here in our community of Charleville, but also across the length and breadth of Ireland and even beyond.
“Helen and Thomas, ever so many people want to embrace you and your family so that you may know that you are not alone and we don’t want you ever to feel alone because we are and will continue to be there for you.
“Don’t ever hesitate to call us, day or night, in the days, weeks, or months ahead. Never feel alone,” said Fr Naughton.
The Mass was also attended by the Bishop off Cloyne, Rev William Crean, who said the prayers of commendation.
Earlier, the boys’ older sister Bernadette spoke of how the tragedy had shattered their family with grief. However, they would also have memories of her brothers, which they would hold dear for as long as they lived.
“Jonathan, Paddy and Tom Tom - there are so many memories that we shared as a family growing up and these are memories I will treasure for the rest of my life - our family’s hearts are broken as we say a fond farewell to you -I was always love you and will always miss you.”
Family members shouldered the two small white coffins from the church to the strains of Celine Dion’s ‘Footprints in the Sand’ before making their way to their final resting place at Holy Cross Cemetery in Charleville.
The cortege was led from the church grounds by a Toyota flatback truck carrying two huge floral wreaths, the first bearing the words, “Our Son Jonathan” and the second bearing the words “Our Boys, Tom Tom and Paddy”.
Behind them, another mourner led a miniature pony pulling the miniature barrel caravan that their parents had bought in Waterford last Thursday to remind them of their Traveller heritage.
On the sides of the small green and yellow painted caravan, exact in every detail, were pinned pictures of the three boys, including images of Jonathan with his arms protectively around the two twins as they laughed and smiled and played together.
Behind the miniature caravan came a hearse carrying a variety of floral wreathes - one in the shape of a caravan, another in the shape of a horse and another in the shape of a racing car - which joined in the cortege on the way to the cemetery.
The boy’s father, Thomas carried one of the coffins and their mother, Helen carried another as relatives placed the Paddy and Tom Tom’s boxing gloves on each coffin, each pair of gloves bearing the name of one of the boys followed by the letters RIP.
Meanwhile inside the church, three young girls made their way to the top of the church where the white coffin carrying the remains of Jonathan continued to lie in repose before he made his last journey to be buried with his maternal grandparents in Kilmallock.
Wiping back the tears, the three girls paused for a moment in silent prayer beside the coffin in the near empty church fore blessing themselves and touching the coffin one last time in farewell to their friend.
* Anyone affected by the tragedy can call the Samaritans around the clock for free at 116123, or can email: jo@samaritans.org
