The funeral of Joe Carthy, the youngest victim of a wrong-way motorway crash that left five teenagers dead and four people injured, was held in Athy, Ireland, on August 21. The 15-year-old was one of five boys travelling in a high-powered BMW that drove the wrong way up a motorway and collided head-on with a car carrying a family heading to Dublin Airport.
Crash victims and injuries
The crash occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning. Three women — sisters Niamh and Alma Kinsella, and Ella Hendricken — were seriously injured, along with an unnamed teenage boy. All four remain in hospital.
Joe was remembered for his love of "boxing and fishing" during an emotional funeral procession and service at St Michael's Church.
Memorial and tributes
An elaborate gold-trimmed memorial was set up at the church entrance, with two stairways leading to pictures of Joe at the gates of heaven — one showing him as a baby, the other a recent photograph. A large open-book memorial displayed poems from his sisters, including one reading: "If I could write a story, it would be the greatest ever told of a kind and love brother who had a heart of gold."
A royal blue carpet was rolled out for mourners, with white flowers positioned behind velvet ropes. Outside the church, a large screen cycled through pictures of Joe with family and friends as songs including "Spartan Soldier", "Dancing in the Sky" and "I'll Be Missing You" played.
Funeral procession
Joe's gold casket was carried through the streets of Athy in a horse-drawn carriage. Mourners walking behind wore T-shirts bearing his picture, while those waiting at the church embraced one another. An Garda Síochána maintained checkpoints on the road into town, with officers also stationed near the church.
The casket was carried into the church for a service led by Father Francis McCarthy, who extended "sincere sympathy to Joe's family", adding: "We gather with sorrow in our hearts." After the Mass, Joe was taken to a local graveyard and laid to rest.
Other victims
The other four teenagers who died were Alex McCarthy, 17, Jack Kennedy, 17, Jeremy O'Brien, and 17-year-old Kamil Pustkowski.
