Hundreds attend funeral held for Athy teenager killed in wrong-way motorway crash
The cortege makes its way to St Michael's Cemetery in Athy
Gardaí maintained a presence around the funeral mass of a teenager who died in a horror wrong-way crash on a motorway last weekend.
Joe Carthy was one of five teenagers who died when the car they were travelling in was driven the wrong way down the M9 and was involved in a head-on collision with another vehicle.
He died alongside Jack Kennedy, Alex McCarthy, Jeremy O’Brien and Kamil Pustkowski.
A child and three women from the same family, who were in the other car, are being treated for serious injuries in hospital.
Joe’s funeral began in Athy, Co Kildare, on Friday morning, where the gardaí had a visible presence in the town amid outcry over the circumstances of the crash and concern for possible disorder.
The coffin arrived at the church on a white horse-drawn carriage.
Mourners followed the coffin into the church, wearing white T-shirts depicting an image of the boy while others raised framed photographs.
Emergency service vehicles and personnel on the scene of an accident A family travelling in the other car remain in hospital (Niall Carson/PA) The priest extended “sincere sympathy to Joe’s family”, adding: “We gather with sorrow in our hearts.” An Garda Síochána maintained checkpoints on the road into town, while officers were also present in the area around the church.
Outside the service, a screen displayed pictures and videos while music played. Blue carpet led the way to the church steps, with white flowers placed around the entrance.
A funeral mass for Alex is scheduled to take place in Holy Family Church, Askea, Carlow, on Friday afternoon.
Elsewhere in Carlow, a vigil will be held for three sisters – Ella Hendricken and Niamh and Alma Kinsella – as well as a young boy who were the occupants of the other vehicle, in St Clare's Church, Graiguecullen at 6pm.
A fundraiser for the affected family had raised more than €640,000 by Friday morning.
Earlier in the week, Ireland’s child and family agency Tusla confirmed one of the deceased teenagers was in its care, while two other boys were “known” to the it.
Tusla has committed to sharing information with the independent National Review Panel into deaths or serious incidents involving children known to Tusla or in State care.
Following the crash, Government and opposition politicians have criticised social media companies for failing to restrict or quickly remove content depicting dangerous driving.
