The mother of one of the five young people killed when their car travelled the wrong way down the M9 in Ireland has apologised to a family left in hospital after their vehicle was struck.
The funeral mass for 17-year-old Jack Kennedy, who died in the crash on the M9 in Co Kildare last weekend, also heard calls to “please, please, please, stop” engaging in criminal activity.
Crash details and injuries
Sisters Ella Hendricken, Niamh Kinsella and Alma Kinsella, who are aged in their 20s and 30s, were rushed to hospital after their car was hit by the vehicle travelling the wrong way. They were travelling with a child, who was also hospitalised, when their Hyundai was struck by the BMW at around 3am on August 16.
Jack died alongside Jeremy O’Brien, Kamil Pustkowski, Joe Carthy and Alex McCarthy when their car collided head-on with the other vehicle.
Mother’s apology and eulogy
Jack’s mother Sarah spoke at the funeral at St Michael’s, Athy, Kildare, on Tuesday morning. She apologised to the family still recovering in hospital as a result of the crash.
“Five young boys made a bad choice,” she said. “Five young boys paid the ultimate price. Five families lost their babies. Five families got a life sentence. May they all rest in peace.
“Secondly, we all want to send our deepest, heartfelt apologies to the families who were injured. You are all in our thoughts and our prayers. We pray to God that you all make a full recovery and once again, we are sorry.”
In the eulogy, Canon Frank McEvoy referred to anger expressed on social media surrounding the incident. He said: “Words can hurt, and words have the power to heal. It’s also true of actions. Our actions can hurt people, and our actions can heal people.
“In all those situations, we’re responsible for the words that we use, and above all, we’re responsible for the actions that we take.”
Appeal to stop criminal activity
He said the feeling in the parish after the crash was “one of shock, confusion, disbelief, and above all, anger”. “Anger is a very dangerous emotion, and when it starts to curdle and get going in the community, anything can happen,” he said.
“When you watch social media and you watch the responses and you hear what people are saying, that’s the result of bad actions and very often, then, in all of that, there’s so much hurt created for the family.
“Sarah put it so well, she doesn’t wish any of you to walk in her shoes, to have to bury her son. There’s no great future in all of that.
“And again, as I say, the dust has settled somewhat, and the week has passed by, there is something I want to say, and especially to Jack’s friends, and it’s this – if you’re considering continuing this criminal activity, will you please stop?
“Just one word, stop. Because this is the end of it.
“This is a family broken, and the consequences of that will happen to you too, for you yourself, for your families, the communities in which you live in, and then you’ll have the innocent victims, like the people who are in hospital trying to recover.
“There is no need for it. So again, I say to you, please, please, please, stop.”
One of the items brought to the altar was a car to represent Jack’s “love for cars”. Garda officers were stationed in Kildare ahead of the funeral, but less than was seen at services held last week for the other four who died. Young, Wild & Free by Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa played as the coffin was taken from the chapel for a private cremation.
