The funeral mass of Joe Carthy, 15, one of five teenagers who died in a wrong-way crash on the M9 motorway in Ireland last weekend, has been held.
Joe was one of five teens who died in the early hours of Sunday (August 16) in Co Kildare when the car they were travelling in was driven the wrong way down the M9 and was involved in a head-on collision with another vehicle.
Victims and collision details
He died alongside Jack Kennedy, 17, Alex McCarthy, 16, Jeremy O’Brien, 18, and Kamil Pustkowski, 17. The BMW is believed to have been travelling at speeds exceeding 120km/h when it struck the Hyundai near Junction 3 of the M9 in Co Kildare at around 3am on Sunday.
A child and three women from the same family, who were in the other car, are being treated for serious injuries in hospital. The three women have since been named as sisters Niamh and Alma Kinsella and Ella Hendricken, who suffered catastrophic injuries in the crash that claimed the lives of the five teenagers.
Funeral service in Athy
Joe’s funeral began in Athy, Co Kildare, on Friday morning, where the Irish police service had a visible presence in the town amid outcry over the circumstances of the crash and concern for possible disorder. The coffin arrived at the church on a white horse-drawn carriage.
Mourners followed the coffin into the church, wearing white T-shirts depicting an image of the boy while others raised framed photographs. The priest extended "sincere sympathy to Joe’s family", adding: "We gather with sorrow in our hearts."
Outside the service, a screen displayed pictures and videos while music played. Blue carpet led the way to the church steps, with white flowers placed around the entrance.
Further services and fundraiser
A funeral mass for Alex is scheduled to take place in Holy Family Church, Askea, Carlow, on Friday afternoon.
Meanwhile, a vigil in support of the family, who were on the way to Dublin Airport for a holiday, is to take place on Friday evening in Carlow. A fundraiser for the affected family had raised more than 640,000 euro by Friday morning.
