A huge crowd has gathered in an Irish town for the funeral of a man and his young son who died while on holiday in Turkey.
Eoin Fitzpatrick, 35, and his 10-year-old son Dylan, from Portlaoise in Co Laois, died in a crash last Monday while on holiday in Alanya.
Hundreds of mourners gathered at St Peter and Paul’s Church on Tuesday for the funeral of “devoted” father Eoin and “treasured” student Dylan.
Members from the Portlaoise GAA community formed a guard of honour and Dylan’s classmates held flowers outside the church as the two coffins were carried in.
Family members described Eoin as a gifted sportsman who wore the town and county GAA colours with pride, and who was “the master of one-liners”.
Dylan loved to “let his imagination run wild” and was a sweet child who was “one of a kind”, mourners were told.
The parish priest said the tragedy has left their families “heartbroken and bewildered”, and the whole community “in shock and united in sympathy”.
He expressed his condolences to Mr Fitzgerald’s other son, Dylan’s older brother Cian, who had been on holiday with them in Turkey, and said Dylan’s mother Claire was “heartbroken” by the loss.
Claire described her “beautiful” son Dylan as special and witty, and said he loved “the simple things in life”.
“As my family would say, it was Dylan’s world and we were all just living in it,” she told the congregation.
“He loved to dance, he loved to colour, he loved to read, he loved to swim.
“He loved trains, his favourite movies were Matilda and Paddington 2.
“He always held my hand and I will forever hold him in my heart.
“His best friend was his daddy, whom he loved so dearly because he was, and always will be, the most amazing father to him and Cian. I hope they’re holding each other so tight wherever they are.
“I’ll end this with saying something that Dylan and I would always say to each other: I love you, I love you more, I love you most.”
Mr Fitzgerald’s sisters Ciara, Maryse and Aideen, and his friend David, also addressed the congregation.
Ciara said her nephew Dylan loved both “structure, order, routine”, such as “dependable, reliable” trains, and “free-spirited, untethered, fantastic art”.
“Dylan wasn’t a carbon copy of his dad. He didn’t like sports, certainly not team sports.
“He had a special gift, Eoin saw that, he celebrated it, he nurtured it, and that is why they had such a unique bond. It was beautiful.”
She described her brother as an “extraordinary” man, a “devoted” father, and an “exceptional” friend, who was “the king of sarcasm” and a “joy to be around”.
Maryse said the loss of “these two beautiful boys” was “shattering” for the family.
“We grieve for them, but what is grief if not love persevering?” she said.
“We grieve because we love them.
“Our hearts ache because we miss their smiles, we miss their laughter, quick wit and good humour. We miss the joy they brought into our life.
“But that joy will remain because, while it’s coloured in sadness, the light Eoin and Dylan brought into the world is undimmed by their absence from it.
“We will carry them with us in our thoughts, in our hearts and in our lives.”
The boys are deeply mourned by their utterly heartbroken families— Parish priest
Bishop Denis Nulty expressed sympathy to Cian and Claire, Mr Fitzgerald’s parents, and Dylan’s grandparents, Rita and Frank Fitzpatrick, Dylan’s maternal grandparents, Liz and Andy Dowling, and Mr Fitzgerald’s partner Suzie and her family.
Items taken up to the altar to represent Dylan’s life included a model train, a book and a painting, as art was described as the “gateway into his imagination and how he saw the world”.
Items taken up to represent Mr Fitzgerald included a hurl, as he was a “skilled” and “gifted” player, and a Manchester United jersey.
The priest said the “huge congregation”, spilling out over the grounds of the church to attend the service, showed locals’ desire to “embrace and support” the family whose hearts had been “truly broken” by the loss, and also showed the popularity of both father and son.
“The boys are deeply mourned by their utterly heartbroken families,” he said.
