Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Body hunt as boat man lost at reservoir
Priest’s message to young people at funeral of tragic crash victim Shiva
A MAN was feared dead after his inflatable banana boat overturned on a reservoir in Portugal.
Police said they were “probably looking for a body” in the search for Richard Chapelow, 29.
He had been staying at the mansion of billionaire Jon Hunt, founder of estate agent Foxtons.
His son, Harry Hunt, said: “My family and I are devastated by the loss of Richard. It is a time of great sorrow.”
Mr Chapelow went into the water at the Santa Clara Dam, a spot popular for watersports, 35 miles north of the Algarve coast.
The Foreign Office said: “We’re helping the family of a British man reported missing and are in contact with local authorities.” A PRIEST at the funeral of road crash victim Shiva Blue Devine has warned young people not to think they are invincible.
Fr Joseph O’donnell was speaking at yesterday’s Mass for the 20-year-old, who died along with friend Conall Mcaleer in the weekend tragedy.
Hundreds of people packed into St Brigid’s Church in Ballintra, overlooking Donegal Bay, to say a final farewell to the mum of one.
Shiva and Conall were both back seat passengers in a car which struck a wall and lamp post in Bundoran at 3.25am on Sunday.
Fr O’donnell told dozens of mourners: “To all you young people here today, I say to you, you are not indestructible, you are very fragile so please handle your life with care.”
The priest said it was not the first time he had conducted a funeral Mass for a young person killed in such tragic circumstances.
He was also present at Letterkenny University Hospital in 2010 when the bodies of eight people killed in a road crash at Clonmany, also in Co Donegal, were brought to the morgue.
TRIBUTE
He recalled: “I spent that Sunday night and Monday morning consoling parents and their friends and leading them down to identify their children.
“I had hoped I would never have to face anything like that ever again. It took me two years to recover.
“While the circumstances and the details of Sunday morning’s crash may be totally different, the one true fact remains, young lives have been lost.” Among the mourners were Shiva’s mum and dad Julian and Nicola and extended family members.
Her three-year-old son Kyle, wearing a red sequined hat, brought a CD to the altar as part of the offertory gifts.
Many of those at the funeral wore blue in tribute to Shiva including her mother. Mourners were told she packed so much into her short life and always enjoyed having fun. She had no real time for modern music but loved country and western. Fr O’donnell recited the Roger Turner poem I Grew Up On Country Music. Shiva was buried in the adjoining cemetery.
The funeral of Conall Mcaleer will take place in Co Fermanagh today.