AN EERIE silence descended on the church yard, interrupted only by the bagpiper’s lonesome drone of Patrick’s Kavanagh’s ‘Raglan Road’ and a newborn baby’s cry, as five hearses crept into Bride Street Church in the heart of Wexford town.
The convoy made the journey following funeral Mass at the Church of the Ascension in Balally, Dublin, and arrived in Wexford shortly after 5p.m. last Thursday evening.
A large group of Wexford based relations of the Connors family lined the barricade, which had been erected in the church yard to allow ease of access for the hearses, to welcome their family to the church which is a special place to the Connors family and frequently the chosen venue for weddings.
The three small white coffins were carried from the vehicles to the porch of the church first and their parents’ coffins were taken behind them.
Parish administrator Fr Aodhan Markem performed a blessing of the coffins before they were taken to the foot of the altar. A brief prayer service commenced after the large crowd had moved inside. This was co-celebrated by priest of the travelling parish Fr Dermot Lane.
Fr Markem told the congregation that he expected that “many may have questions” and encouraged people to “share their feelings and express them”.
“We are all free to express our frustration here,” the priest said.
He continued: “During the past few days we have been left with many questions. Chief among them is why did this have to happen?”
Fr Markem also noted that the Connors family were now in “the hearts and minds of the nation”.
“When a parent or an elderly person dies, they take away a part of history. When a young parent or child dies they take away the future,” he concluded.
A relation of the deceased, Mary Connors (44) from Wexford town, revealed that the family were struggling to come to terms with the tragedy. Mrs Connors stated that “if you scratch below the surface there’s a lot of anger.”
It is claimed that the Connors family had raised safety concerns regarding the halting site at Glenamuck.
According to Mrs Connors the family were particularly concerned about fire safety.
“They had constantly during the past seven years asked for fire extinguishers and hoses and for a full electrical check to be carried out,” she said.
The following morning (Friday) a larger crowd gathered at the church for a final prayer service before the burial ceremony at Crosstown Cemetery.
Wexford town parish administrator Fr Aodhan Markem led the prayers once again.
“In the Gospel this afternoon we hear the words of Jesus saying to his friends, ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled’, that’s a very difficult thing to do this afternoon when we are surrounded with such pain and devastation, in some way we might echo the words of Jesus during his passion ‘My God, My God why have you forsaken me?” said Fr Markem in his opening remarks.
He continued: “All we can do as a nation and as a people is to walk beside you and with you, we cannot walk in your shoes because we cannot begin to understand the depth of your pain and how broken your hearts are, genuinely hearts are broken and the words we offer are oft times futile and without impact, so we stand with you and in confused and broken words.”
Bishop Denis Brennan subsequently led in the final prayers and read to the congregation a message from Pope Francis.
“Pope Francis, having learned of the horrific fire in Carrickmines, expresses his deep sadness over this terrible tragedy. The Holy Father prays especially for those who have died and he wishes to assure all their family members; their friends, and the whole Traveller community, of his spiritual closeness and sympathy at this very difficult time,” the Bishop said.
Adding his own words of sympathy, he said: “Having worked with the Travelling People over the years I have come to know, and admire, your lively sense of the sacred, and your strong family bonds. I pray that these two traits, which are a hallmark of your community, will help you through this time of tears.”
There were scenes of distress as the five coffins were taken from the church to make the final journey to the cemetery and close relatives of the victims were flanked by other family members.
Wexford town came to a standstill as the funeral procession made its way to Crosstown. A large group of mourners walked the full distance from the church to the cemetery (just over two miles).