Donegal crash victim Caoimhin Porter-McLoone 'was deeply loved', funeral hears

Caoimhin Porter-McLoone was a “kind-hearted, caring, handsome, funny young man’ whose life was “just beginning to open out” as he prepared to “start work and his step into adulthood” a year on from having lost his father, heartbroken mourners at his funeral were told.

There were poignant scenes as the Shantallow estate in Derry fell silent and Caoimhin’s devastated family and friends prepared to lay their beloved boy to rest.

The procession moved off under blue skies from the family home to St Brigid’s Church, Carnhill, where staff and classmates from Caoimhin’s former schools, St Therese’s Primary School, Lenamore and St Brigid’s College, were among those who had gathered to pay their last respects on Saturday morning.

Caoimhin and his friend Daniel Cullen, both just 18, were tragically killed as a result of a road traffic collision in St Johnston on Tuesday night.

They were passengers in a car when a collision occurred between the vehicle they were in and a lorry as they returned home from a trip to Asda in Strabane via Lifford and St Johnston. The driver of the car, also aged 18, sustained serious injuries and was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.

Daniel will be laid to rest following the Requiem Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Steelstown, on Sunday, and the parish priest there, Fr Declan McGeehan, joined Fr Micheál McGavigan PP as he officiated at the Requiem Mass for Caoimhin.

During the Requiem Mass at St Brigid’s Church, Rev McGavigan spoke of the deep sense of “shock and sorrow” across the north west region following the tragedy.

Fr McGavigan said Caoimhin’s death “has come suddenly and painfully, and it has left many hearts broken”.

“There is disbelief, confusion, and a grief that feels too heavy for words,” Fr McGavigan. “Today, we do not pretend otherwise. We come just as we are - stunned, grieving, and carrying love that now has nowhere to go.”

Fr McGavigan said everyone’s prayers and thoughts were especially with Caoimhin’s devoted mother Stephanie, his sister Chloe, brothers Hunter, Shea, Darren and Ben, his grandparents Eamon and Isobel, his aunts, uncles, the wider family circle, and his many friends - “especially the many young people whose lives have been so deeply shaken by his death”.

Fr McGavigan added: "Today we bring our grief to this altar. We ask God to hold Caoimhin gently, to comfort all who are heartbroken, and to give strength where there is exhaustion and pain. In the midst of loss, we cling to love — the love that shaped Caoimhin’s life, and the love that will carry us through these days."

As the Requiem Mass commenced, a photo of Caoimhin, a hat and a scarf from his beloved Manchester United Football Club were brought to the altar.

“We gather today,” Fr McGavigan said, “with hearts that are heavy, shocked, and sore. It is difficult even to find the right words, because this is the kind of loss that leaves people stunned and breathless.

"Like the disciples in today’s Gospel on the road to Emmaus, it can feel as though the bottom has dropped out of our world. One moment, life is moving along as normal, and the next - everything is changed.

“Caoimhin’s death has stunned us. Only 18 years of age. A life just beginning to open out. A young man who had taken time after the tragic death of his dad, Darren, just over a year ago, and who was now ready. Ready to start work. Ready to build something. Ready to make his mark on the world. And on Tuesday evening, in a car accident, it was taken from him - and with him his friend Daniel, also only 18. Two young lives. Two families. Two communities now carry grief that feels unbearable.

“And yet, when we speak about Caoimhin, what shines through so clearly is not only the sadness of his death, but the goodness of his life.

"He was known as a kind-hearted, caring, handsome, funny young man - but also as a deep thinker, an old soul, wise beyond his years. He loved deep conversations. He was interested in philosophy and the bigger questions of life. He had a way of thinking things through and talking things out, a way of seeing beyond the surface.

“At home, he and his mum Stephanie could often be found discussing everything from conspiracy theories to whether there was other life in the universe - much to Chloe’s amusement. It’s a small detail, but it says something striking: a mother and son who truly enjoyed one another’s company, who talked, laughed, and shared ideas freely.”

“Like so many young people, he loved football - a devoted Manchester United fan — the PlayStation, and music blaring through his headphones. His playlist said a lot about him: Eminem, Fleetwood Mac, Ozzy Osbourne — a mix that matched his personality.”

Caoimhin was a well-liked, good student throughout his years at St Therese’s Primary School and St Brigid’s College, and had played football for Don Bosco’s when he was younger, “until an injury put an end to that chapter,” Fr McGavigan said.

“More recently, he had started going to the gym, looking after himself, taking pride in things. He was preparing to attend interview sessions at Vertiv, ready to start work and step into adulthood. He had plans to travel - with his interest in architecture, he wanted to see historic places like Edinburgh and Rome. He had planned to go to a Manchester United match this year - a special connection with his father, Darren, with whom he shared that love of football.

“But most of all, Caoimhin was deeply loved at home. Stephanie speaks of a good child who never brought any bother, always smiling, always ready to wind up and carry on. He was affectionate and loving - never leaving the house without a hug, a kiss, and an ‘I love you’. Those moments are priceless now. They are a gift that nothing can take away.

“He was idolised by his younger siblings — Hunter, Shea, Darren and Ben — and shared a special, close bond with his older sister Chloe; partners in crime, deeply connected. He was a good help around the house. And even after all the loss he had already endured - the death of his granny, his uncle Barry, and then his father - he did not grow hard or bitter. He remained sensitive to others, able to sense when someone needed a lift, and willing to give it. He always tried to see the good in people and in situations. That tells us everything about the kind of young man he was."

Fr McGavigan said that as they gathered to lay Caoimhin to rest: “We believe that he is safe, held, and at peace - reunited with his dad Darren, resting in a love that cannot be taken away”.

Mourners were also urged to “keep walking together, keep talking, keep looking out for one another’.

Prayers were also said during the Mass for the others affected in the tragedy, including Daniel Cullen’s family, and for all those who have lost their lives in recent road tragedies and those injured.

"Carry Caoimhin’s kindness forward,” Fr McGavigan concluded, “because that is how love endures.”