‘THIS AFFECTS ALL OF US’
Funeral of car crash victim Katie hears of shock in community, as service for Daryl is told he was one of a kind
THE funeral Mass of a teenager who died along with two friends in a horror car crash last week heard yesterday that deaths on the road ‘affect all of us’.
Katie Graham, 19, from Ballinagall, Ballickmoyler on the Laois/Carlow border, lost her life when the Lexus car she was travelling in skidded after heavy rain near Carlow town at around 11.30pm on Wednesday.
Mourners heard she was a ‘kind and thoughtful’ girl, who hoped to become a primary school teacher like her grandmother Síle, at her Requiem Mass at the Church of the Sacred Heart in Arles, Co. Laois, yesterday.
Two of her friends, Daryl Culbert, 21, from Kiltegan, Co. Wicklow, and Michael Kelly, 25, from Nurney, Co. Carlow, also died in the tragic accident. Mr Culbert was remembered as a ‘one-of-akind’ son, brother and grandson at his Church of Ireland funeral service in Kiltegan yesterday.
A fourth occupant of the vehicle, Nathan Kelly, aged in his 20s and from Ballinabranagh, Co. Carlow, was rushed to hospital in the aftermath. His injuries have since been described by gardaí as non-life-threatening.
Ms Graham’s white coffin was surrounded by pink and white floral
‘We all have been deeply affected’
wreaths with one bearing her name. Her parents and younger sister followed the hearse in her blue M-series BMW bearing ‘Katie’ number plates.
Her weeping friends and cousins, wearing pink, blue and green ribbons, formed a guard of honour as her coffin was carried into the church by six pallbearers, including her father Damien.
Fr Padraig Shelley, parish priest of Arles, told mourners: ‘A woman said to me during the week, and I think she synopsised it very sufficiently, “This affects all of us”, and I think it’s true that our community, parish and wider afield, the circle of friends that Katie had throughout this region, we all have been deeply affected by the tragedy that happened during this past week. So as neighbours, friends and parishioners, we gather in sadness and we gather to support Katie’s family.’
Several symbols important to Katie were brought to the altar by her younger sister Laura and a number of her cousins, including a number plate which said Katie’s name, a Kilkenny jersey as she loved travelling to hurling matches, a jewellery box, and a target shooting board. Fr Shelley said of Katie: ‘She was a kind and thoughtful young girl, she had an eagerness to do good. All these qualities have enriched us all.’
He explained that as a teenager, Katie developed an interest in cars and guns, adding: ‘That’s what Katie loved. These were very much part of her life, gave her energy and joy... Having become a bit of a petrolhead, she eagerly got a provisional licence and a full licence at the age of 18.
‘She would scour the internet for links to cars and gently send them to her father Damien. She eventually did get her own car and it was her pride and joy.’
A family friend, Sharon, thanked everyone on behalf of the family.
She said: ‘Katie was a determined person, whatever she wanted she got. Katie adored all her family. She loved going to Dundrum shopping centre or New York for shopping with her father’s credit card. Katie, you have impacted all our lives so deeply. Fly high you beautiful girl.’
Later yesterday, hundreds of mourners gathered at the Church of Ireland funeral service of Daryl Culbert in Kiltegan.
His bereft mother Heather was helped into the church by family members, followed by Daryl’s sisters Chloe and Amy, grandmother Joan and grandfather Albert.
Reverend Máirt Hanley, led 12 other clerics along with Bishop Adrian Wilkinson in the service.
In the eulogy, Daryl’s father Trevor described his son as ‘one of a kind’ who was ‘not only my son but my best friend as well’. Mr Culbert continued: ‘Anyone who knew Daryl knew that he was a quiet-spoken chap, with a cheeky grin, a loveable glint in his eye and you couldn’t but love him.’
He added: ‘His passion in life was cars. He was a trainee mechanic which he started in my garage from an early age. Daryl started his working life in an engineering shop in Tullow, he then went to Boland’s Volvo in Carlow and was very popular with everyone over there. He recently started phase two of his apprenticeship in Finglas training centre.
‘Daryl’s knowledge as a first-year trainee was second to none. His knowledge and interest was all down to his love in cars. He was an accomplished autocross and crosskart driver. This was a passion we both shared and we developed an unbreakable bond. We would spend endless hours in the workshop preparing his car.
‘He won many events and was awarded All-Ireland special autocross champion and driver of the year on two occasions.’
Mr Culbert thanked all the emergency services and gardaí, the bishop, clergy and priests. He said: ‘This is a very difficult time not just for our family, but for the families of Katie, Michael and Nathan Kelly. They are all in our thoughts and prayers.’