THE WALL OF GRIEF
The wall of grief
President weeps with thousands in Buncrana's aching farewell
By STEPHEN O'BRIEN
PRESIDENT McAleese emerged from the McLaughlin home deeply shaken. Her face was drained of colour against her black suit, her walk hesitant, her expression glassy, almost numb.
The profound and dark sadness that cloaked Buncrana yesterday cannot be fully conveyed by the printed word.
The feeling was almost physical, a dull ache in every gut, a heaviness in the thousands of feet that followed the little brown coffins of Oran (8), Shaun (12) and James (12) on their final journey to a place of peace.
The sad pilgrimage of farewell began just after 1pm for the Doherty and McLaughlin families from their homes three doors apart in Knockalla Drive.
Several hundred mourners bowed their heads in silence outside the hilltop houses as the families within kissed their sons goodbye.
Little Oran Doherty was buried in his favourite Celtic jersey and his coffin was draped in the team flag. The floral wreaths on his hearse included two green and while footballs and one that simply read 'Celtic.'
The Glasgow club, with its close affinity to Co Donegal, had sent three representatives to the funerals, including Youth coach and former player Willie McStay and Danish international Mark Rieper.
Shaun McLaughlin was more a Man United fan, as the red and white wreath on the waiting hearse suggested.
The hush was broken as the two homes opened their doors and the coffins emerged to the awful sound of children and adults weeping uncontrollably.
The empty hearses moved off side by side as the men of both families shouldered the coffins a quarter of a mile to Buncranna's Main Street. There, hundreds more were waiting in silence as they were transferred to their hearses for the mile-long journey to St Mary's Church. Shutters were drawn, a Tricolour flew at half-mast over the Brass Rail Bar, a garda stood in solemn salute.
The people of Buncrana lined every step of the way and the crowds swelled by the thousands. Men removed their caps and blessed themselves, others seemed too numb to move.
Inspector Greg Sullivan's radio handset crackled as a colleague reported the progress of James Barker's cortege from the family home out Westbrook Road. The hearses met with precision timing on Cockhill Road and proceeded three abreast as the skies began to gently weep.
Four-year-old Oliver Barker held his father, Victor, by the hand as he chatted innocently behind his brother's coffin. His bright yellow fleece jacket stood out against the dark suits of the grownups, his little world not yet darkened by a full understanding of what happened to James.
Along Crana river the solemn process was soothed by the sound of rushing water as it passed between the hedges of hawthorn and woodbine and turned up the steep drive of St Mary's Church. The children of Foyle Londonderry Prep School where James was a pupil and Buncrana's Scoil Iosagain formed a guard of honour, holding hands along the driveway.
In the church, David Trimble and Seamus Mallon sat alongside Mary McAleese and Mary O'Rourke, and the British and Spanish ambassadors to Dublin were joined by TDs, MEPs, Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness and dozens of councillors from North and South.
Local curate Fr Shane Bradley, a native of Omagh, said people from Spain, Buncrana, Augher, Beragh, Carrickmore, Donemana, Drumquin, Eskra, Killyclogher, Loughmacrory and Omagh now found themselves in an eerie place alongside the people of Belfast, Derry, Enniskillen, Loughanisland and many more.
"Is this our saddest moment, our darkest hour,'' he asked. "And if it is, will it then herald a new dawn, a new light? I hope and pray so.''
Elizabeth O'Donnell read a poem, The Bridge, which Shaun had written with her and a number of classmates:
'Orange and Green it does not matter,
United now, don't shatter
Our dream. Scatter.
The Winds of peace over our land,
So we can travel hand in hand across the Bridge of Hope.'
The 7,000 to 8,000 mourners were collectively moved to tears.
Almost four hours after the funeral processions had begun the boys were buried side by side in three little plots on the highest points of St Mary's cemetery in Cockhill.
President weeps with thousands in Buncrana's aching farewell
By STEPHEN O'BRIEN
PRESIDENT McAleese emerged from the McLaughlin home deeply shaken. Her face was drained of colour against her black suit, her walk hesitant, her expression glassy, almost numb.
The profound and dark sadness that cloaked Buncrana yesterday cannot be fully conveyed by the printed word.
The feeling was almost physical, a dull ache in every gut, a heaviness in the thousands of feet that followed the little brown coffins of Oran (8), Shaun (12) and James (12) on their final journey to a place of peace.
The sad pilgrimage of farewell began just after 1pm for the Doherty and McLaughlin families from their homes three doors apart in Knockalla Drive.
Several hundred mourners bowed their heads in silence outside the hilltop houses as the families within kissed their sons goodbye.
Little Oran Doherty was buried in his favourite Celtic jersey and his coffin was draped in the team flag. The floral wreaths on his hearse included two green and while footballs and one that simply read 'Celtic.'
The Glasgow club, with its close affinity to Co Donegal, had sent three representatives to the funerals, including Youth coach and former player Willie McStay and Danish international Mark Rieper.
Shaun McLaughlin was more a Man United fan, as the red and white wreath on the waiting hearse suggested.
The hush was broken as the two homes opened their doors and the coffins emerged to the awful sound of children and adults weeping uncontrollably.
The empty hearses moved off side by side as the men of both families shouldered the coffins a quarter of a mile to Buncranna's Main Street. There, hundreds more were waiting in silence as they were transferred to their hearses for the mile-long journey to St Mary's Church. Shutters were drawn, a Tricolour flew at half-mast over the Brass Rail Bar, a garda stood in solemn salute.
The people of Buncrana lined every step of the way and the crowds swelled by the thousands. Men removed their caps and blessed themselves, others seemed too numb to move.
Inspector Greg Sullivan's radio handset crackled as a colleague reported the progress of James Barker's cortege from the family home out Westbrook Road. The hearses met with precision timing on Cockhill Road and proceeded three abreast as the skies began to gently weep.
Four-year-old Oliver Barker held his father, Victor, by the hand as he chatted innocently behind his brother's coffin. His bright yellow fleece jacket stood out against the dark suits of the grownups, his little world not yet darkened by a full understanding of what happened to James.
Along Crana river the solemn process was soothed by the sound of rushing water as it passed between the hedges of hawthorn and woodbine and turned up the steep drive of St Mary's Church. The children of Foyle Londonderry Prep School where James was a pupil and Buncrana's Scoil Iosagain formed a guard of honour, holding hands along the driveway.
In the church, David Trimble and Seamus Mallon sat alongside Mary McAleese and Mary O'Rourke, and the British and Spanish ambassadors to Dublin were joined by TDs, MEPs, Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness and dozens of councillors from North and South.
Local curate Fr Shane Bradley, a native of Omagh, said people from Spain, Buncrana, Augher, Beragh, Carrickmore, Donemana, Drumquin, Eskra, Killyclogher, Loughmacrory and Omagh now found themselves in an eerie place alongside the people of Belfast, Derry, Enniskillen, Loughanisland and many more.
"Is this our saddest moment, our darkest hour,'' he asked. "And if it is, will it then herald a new dawn, a new light? I hope and pray so.''
Elizabeth O'Donnell read a poem, The Bridge, which Shaun had written with her and a number of classmates:
'Orange and Green it does not matter,
United now, don't shatter
Our dream. Scatter.
The Winds of peace over our land,
So we can travel hand in hand across the Bridge of Hope.'
The 7,000 to 8,000 mourners were collectively moved to tears.
Almost four hours after the funeral processions had begun the boys were buried side by side in three little plots on the highest points of St Mary's cemetery in Cockhill.
Further Information
Publisher: IRISH INDEPENDENT
Ref: II/065
Published Date: 20-Aug-98
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