Mourners at the funeral of 14-year-old Ennis schoolboy Michael Doherty were told yesterday that in his short life he had helped to break down barriers of prejudice.
The teenager died as a result of a stabbing incident in Ennis, Co Clare, last Saturday night.
Addressing the congregation which packed Ss Peter and Paul Cathedral in Ennis, Fr John Molloy said Michael's death had left his parents, John and Nora, his brother and eight sisters, and the wider community "in deep shock and sadness". He said Michael was very well-liked and it had been forcefully said that he broke down barriers of prejudice that can occur in our society.
Fr Molloy added: "We must never judge or condemn anyone. Let us rather continually gently talk to one another, encourage each other and try to help and heal each other in our parish community and if we can do that, then Michael's death will not have been in vain."
Michael's aunt, Mary Ellen Sherlock, told mourners: "Michael was just a young boy, on the threshold of becoming a young man. Tall, strong, beautiful and athletic. He enjoyed life, however short it was."
She described her nephew as a lovely, quiet child who was Nora's "pride and joy". To his father, John, "Michael was not just his oldest son, but also his greatest accomplishment and best friend.
"The bond between a parent and child is of the strongest kind, but the bond between John, Nora and Michael was and still is just that bit more special. They have a bond that will never break, a bond that will last forever."
Last Saturday, Michael attended the Spancilhill horse fair and Fr Molloy told mourners: "Saturday night was the 23rd of June, the day before the fair when Ireland's sons and daughters assembled there as the song goes. Michael was one of those sons that assembled at the famous fair of Spancilhill. He absolutely loved horses. Horses were his life and from a very early age."
After the funeral Mass hundreds of mourners from both the Traveller and settled communities watched as Michael's white coffin was placed in a white carriage before being taken by horse and carriage to the nearby Drumcliffe Cemetery for burial.
A 17-year-old Ennis student charged over Michael's death is on bail and is to reappear before a special sitting of Ennis District Court tomorrow.
