Daniel Cullen ‘lit up every room’, funeral of Donegal crash victim told

Daniel Cullen was a young man with "magnetic charisma" who "lit up every room he entered and drew out the best in everyone" mourners gathered for his Requiem Mass have been told. 

The young Derry man’s heartbroken family were joined by his friends, neighbours and the wider community as the funeral procession made its way from the family home in Shantallow to Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Steelstown, where pupils from his former schools, Steelstown Primary School and St Brigid’s College, Carnhill had formed a guard of honour. 

Daniel and his friend Caoimhin Porter-McLoone, both just 18, were tragically killed as the result of a road traffic collision in St Johnston, County Donegal 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.

Caoimhin was laid to rest on Saturday, following Requiem Mass at St Brigid’s Church in Carnhill. 

Fr Declan McGeehan told those inside the Steelstown church on Sunday afternoon that they had gathered together “broken-hearted and full of grief and sadness” but “united as one community; united in love for Daniel’s family”.

He said that the thoughts and prayers of everyone were with Daniel’s parents John and Sharon, his siblings Bridie, Doniella, Joe and twin brother John Paul, his grandparents, wider family, and also with his girlfriend Sophie and ‘many, many friends’. Those gathered were also praying for young Caoimhin, Fr McGeehan said.   

Mourners were told that the high esteem and affection in which Daniel was held was evidenced by the many who attended the wake and the large attendance at the Requiem Mass, which was concelebrated by Monsignor Joseph Donnelly.  

Referencing the confusion and dismay of the Apostles at Jesus’ death and then awe at the revelation of the Resurrection, and Christ’s victory over death ‘that we might share in his Glory’, Fr McGeehan said: “When you hear bad news everything else becomes a blur. As a family, as Daniel’s friends friends when the news of Tuesday night’s accident reached you, you’ll know that everything else became a blur. You were stunned by the news, numb. Nothing else mattered. All that happened around you faded into one.

"John, Sharon, Joe, John-Paul, Bridie, Doniella, I know that words of resurrection and glory may well be lost on you today. You are still in shock, still numbed by the events of these past few days. As you continue to live through the horror of Good Friday, the joy of Easter may seem impossible at this point and that’s OK.

"For all of you, Daniel’s family and friends, it's Ok to be heartbroken. C.S. Lewis once said that ‘grief is the price we pay for love’. Every tear you shed is a testament to the love you had and continue to have for Daniel, so never be ashamed to cry. Love is stronger than death, and in the end the love of God will conquer all things, including death itself.”

In his Homily, Fr McGeehan brought vividly to the fore the young man Daniel was. 

"From the moment he was born,” the priest said, “Daniel was loved, a twin brother of course to John Paul. The two of you shared that special bond. When I asked your Granny Helen the other day if the two of you were identical she laughed and said, ‘Oh no, they are like chalk and cheese’. She said John Paul is the quieter of the two, and then she stopped herself and said, ‘It's not that he’s quiet, it’s just that Daniel did the talking for both of them’. And I suppose that, in many ways, sums up Daniel’s personality. He was outgoing, extroverted, full of life.

"From he was no age at all he was a sociable, gregarious, popular young fellow who just loved being in the company of others – his family, his friends, his classmates here at Steelstown primary or at St Brigid’s College in Carnhill. Daniel would talk to anybody and everybody. And he had a magnetic charisma, a real wit, a charm that people found irresistible.”

The Shantallow parish, and indeed the wider city, were united in grief, Fr McGeehan said, “because Daniel made a great impression on everyone he met”.

“He was a bit of a comedian too, a real wind-up merchant, always willing and able to bring a bit of light-hearted banter to even the most serious situations.

"He loved the social side of school, surrounded by his friends, charming the girls, having a laugh and enjoying the banter.

"He had ambitions to become a mechanic because he had an inquisitive mind that loved to know how things worked.”

At the family home, Daniel was adored by all his siblings.  “None of them were immune from his charm,” Fr McGeehan said. “He was the life and soul of every family gathering, he lit up every room he entered and drew out the best in everyone. And of course he was a firm favourite with all the younger children in the family, especially his wee cousins. They all gravitated towards him, for he was always there to play with them, to wind them up and to spoil them.”

Daniel never brought any bother to his parents’ door, “for Daniel was a caring, compassionate, considerate young man”.

"He was always the first to offer help. He was there for you when you needed him most; a rock for you at times; a listening ear; a shoulder to cry on. And often he had a wisdom beyond his years. He was the same for his grandparents too. All you needed to do was hinted something needed done and he’d be the first to get his hands dirty and muck in.

“As a son, grandson, friend, he was fiercely loyal and he would be there at the drop of  a hat for any of you. Speaking of hats, I think it is fair to say Daniel loved his style. He always made sure he was dressed to perfection.”

“It’s very easy,” Fr McGeehan concluded, “when someone dies in tragic circumstances to allow those circumstances to define them. But our faith teaches us it’s not the circumstances of life or death that define us. What defines us is God’s love and the love we share. That has to be our focus in these days.”

As the Requiem Mass concluded, Fr McGeehan paid tribute to the people of Shantallow, and all those who’ve supported the families and young friends of Daniel and Caoimhin over recent days. He also issued an appeal to the young friends, many of whom were wearing T-shirts bearing an image of Daniel in tribute to him.

“Just a word to all of you, Daniel’s friends,” he said. “For many of you this is probably the first experience of death that you’ve had, and to experience it at such a young age of one of your own peers is never an easy thing to experience. Just to let you know that you are not suffering this alone, you have each other. But also there are many people out there more than willing to help you and listen to you so if you do need help in the days, weeks months ahead, please do reach out. I’m here as well in the parish and am always available to you.”