Hundreds of mourners gather to pay their last respects to brothers

By Donal Hickey

Saturday, August 28, 2010

UPWARDS of 1,000 sympathisers filed past the remains of two brothers killed in the horrific Co Kerry crash on Wednesday.

Hundreds of young people stood in stunned silence outside O’Shea’s funeral home, in Killarney, as the remains of David, 17, and Kevin Breen, 15, were taken on the short journey to St Mary’s Cathedral.

Earlier, there were highly emotional scenes inside the funeral home, with many people weeping as they walked past the two open coffins which were placed side by side.

People offered condolences to the parents of the boys, Denis and Sheila Breen, and their surviving children, Michael, 21, Denis, 19, Mary, 11, and Bill, 3.

In the previous days, many people had visited the Breen family home at Hazelwood Drive, Ballyspillane, Killarney to express their sympathies.

People started coming to the funeral home at around 4pm and the removals did not take place until after 7pm.

Scores of young people formed a guard of honour, including students in blue blazers from nearby St Brendan’s College where Kevin Breen was a student.

Many others walked behind the two hearses to the cathedral.

Those in attendance included MEP Seán Kelly; Killarney Mayor Donal Grady; TD Jackie Healy-Rae and former Kerry South TD John O’Leary.

The remains of the two teenagers were received by curate Fr Gerard O’Leary, Killarney, with Canon Michael Fleming, of Killorglin, and Fr Declan Timmons, of Killarney.

The Breen brothers will be laid to rest in Holy Cross Cemetery, Kilcummin, Killarney, after a funeral Mass at 10.30am today.

The fourth victim of the crash, Brian Coffey, 19, of Crohane, Fossa, Killarney, will also be buried today in Aghadoe Cemetery, Killarney, following a funeral Mass at the Church of Christ, the Prince of Peace, in Fossa.

This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Saturday, August 28, 2010