‘We’ll look for you in the quiet places’ – Sister’s tragic funeral vow as ‘caring’ Louth crash victim, 23, laid to rest

Dozens of tractors lined the main street of Drumconrath before the mass
THE heartbroken sister of tragic Alan McCluskey emotionally vowed to “look for you in the quiet places” at his funeral service this morning.

Mourners gathered at a packed out church in the 23-year-old’s hometown in Co Meath for the service this morning after Alan tragically lost his life alongside his girlfriend and three pals in the horror crash in Co Louth last weekend.

Hundreds gathered to mourn the tragic young man at a packed St Peter and Paul’s Church in Drumconrath, Co Meath this morning.

Alan’s sister Sharon delivered a heartbreaking eulogy for her brother, telling how he “took the best parts” with him after his passing.

She said: “The youngest, the miracle boy, whose hands once small and dainty, now held all of our hearts and kept the rhythm of our family’s heartbeat without ever trying.

“Born from the finest threads, carefully woven through the love the parents and sisters sewed into you from the moment you came into this world.

“The same hands that learned to work hard from his father, that carried tools and hopes alike, that embraced his mother and sisters, and pet the dogs on quiet mornings, and held many hands to ensure the perfect drive.

“The space that was once immersed in your presence is now somehow larger in the absence of your entire being.

“And now that you’re gone, we will look for you in the quiet places. In the way the house remembers laughter, in the gentle petting of our dogs.”

Sharon told how the “empty space” left behind Alan are now full of his memory.

She added: “You took our best parts with you and somehow left them all behind, stitched into everything that we do.

Play Video

Before Alan’s funeral mass, dozens of tractors lined the main street of Drumconrath as crowds packed out along the village streets in tribute.

Family members placed their hands on the wooden coffin, bearing a yellow sign with Alan’s name on it, as it was carried into the packed church.

During the service, mourners brought symbols which represented Alan’s full and varied life.

Pictures of Alan with his loving family and his girlfriend Chloe were presented at the altar, representing those at the centre of his life.

Alan’s work boots, his hard hat, his favourite tape and a Fence Craft logo showed the pride he took in his craft and dedication.

A license plate, telling how tragic Alan is “forever 23” – made by his closest friends – demonstrated his love for cars and machinery.

Alan McCluskey funeral — **Number plates reading ‘Alan’ offered a touching tribute to the late twenty-three year old**Credit: PA

Mourners gathered for the funeral of Alan McCluskey. — **Mourners lined the streets in tribute to Alan ahead of the service today**Credit: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Models of a John Deere and a Ford 7010, and some farmyard animals, showed Alan’s love of farming and the fields.

A business class Emirates flight ticket and photos of him on his travels, represented his love for experiences and seeing the world.

Mourners also brought up some of Alan’s favourite records, including AC/DC and Luke Combs and his drum sticks, were brought up.

These show Alan’s love for music, the songs that lifted him and the soundtrack to many moments of his life.

LOVE OF FRIENDS

In a moving eulogy met with huge applause, local parish priest Father Finian Connaughton said the sense of disappointment and loss of Alan “was beyond words”.

He said the community had gathered in grief, anger and confusion, and “carrying a burden that at times, seems unmanageable and almost overwhelming”.

He continued: “Even as we carry out the funeral rituals, there is still an air of disbelief, incomprehension that this is happening, happening to someone who sat in these benches two Sundays ago, someone we saw driving his van down the street a very short time ago.”

Connaughton praised Alan’s love and support for his friends, recalling that at only the age of 14 he had supported a friend who had “got in with wrong crowd”.

The priest said: “Even at that stage he was on the lookout for his friends, a wonderful Christian virtue of looking after ourselves, but also looking after the neighbour.”

The priest, who baptised Alan, also remembered his devotion to the church and his family, saying that he used to come to mass with his parents when he was a young teen.

He said: “I know he adored his father and his mother, Bernie and Martin. It was quite evident in the house.”

TRAGIC LOSS

Five youngsters, all under 25, lost their lives in a head-on horror tragedy that has stunned the country.

The pals died after their Volkswagen Golf was involved in a collision with a Toyota Land Cruiser on a winding stretch of road near Dundalk, Co Louth, on Saturday night.

Alan McCluskey died along with his girlfriend Chloe, who was from Carrickmacross in Co Monaghan.

The other casualties were Shay Duffy, 21, also from Carrickmacross, Dylan Commins, 23, from Ardee, Co Louth, and Chloe, 21, from Lanarkshire in Scotland.

Dylan’s funeral is being held at 2pm this afternoon at the Church of the Nativity of Our Lady in Ardee, with burial afterwards in Old St Mary’s Cemetery.

Wakes were held for the Irish road crash victims this week.