Toddler, 3, and grandparents killed in Cashel crash remembered as people who brought ‘happiness and joy’ at funeral mass
THE couple and their grandson who died in a road crash in Cashel have been remembered as people who brought “happiness and joy” at their funeral mass today.
Thomas O’ Reilly, 45, his wife Bridget O’ Reilly, 46, and grandson Tom O’ Reilly, three, passed away when the car they were travelling in struck a wall outside Cashel, Co Tipperary five days ago.
The grandparents and their grandson were sitting in the back of the car when the collision happened.
Little Tom’s parents, both aged 22, were rushed to Tipperary University Hospital for treatment.
Tom jnr remains in hospital and was too ill to attend the Mass in Cashel, but Diane has been discharged and attended the service.
The funeral mass was held at St John the Baptist Church in Cashel this afternoon with a burial afterwards in St Cormac’s Cemetery.
Their remains were reposed in Halla na Féile in the town yesterday evening, followed by removal to the church.
On Thursday, hundreds of people attended a vigil to remember the victims of the crash.
And today, two of Tom Reilly’s sisters, Margaret and Ellen, lit the candles that were lit during the prayer vigil.
Father Enda Brady welcomed the late Mr and Ms Reilly’s other surviving eight children, Shannon, Annemarie, Jimmy, Willie, Chloe, Britney, Kevin and Kelly to the ceremony.
He said that the community did not know what to say in the wake of the tragedy, but wanted to express their support to the Reilly family.
Fr Brady told mourners: “We have just heard about Joseph and Mary making their way to Bethlehem because the ruling authorities had called for a census – they wanted to count the people.
“Similarly, in our times we continue to have counts, statistics and numbers produced every so often.
“And each year, among these figures, we are given the number of people who die on our roads.
“When we hear these, our reaction can be a moment where we say “God bless them”, and then move on with our lives.
“But when this awful situation lands on your doorstep, then you know these are not just numbers, there is a face, there is a heart, there is a personality, there is an individual.”
He continued: “Unfortunately, Tom and Bridget Reilly, and their grandson Tom, have joined the number for this year.
“But we don’t gather here today to remember them as a number. Tom and Bridget’s children remember the parents who loved and cared for them and their nephew, who, in three short years, endeared himself to the family.
“Their parents, brothers and sisters, cousins and extended family remember the people that were Tom and Bridget Reilly – they remember young Tom, the character that will be remembered throughout Ireland with his thumb raised in the air.
“The way they laughed and cried, the way they interacted, the way they were – these are the traits and qualities that we remember today as we celebrate the funeral Mass for a small boy and his grandparents.”