Final farewell to parents and baby sister

THREE little children who should be looking forward to their summer holidays and the prospect of a school tour will instead today bid a final farewell to their doting parents and the baby sister they cherished and loved.

Ten-year-old Cian O’Regan has grown up far too much in the past four days and has now become the father figure of sorts in his family, looking out for his seven-year-old sister, Brianna and little Aaron who is just five.

All three were orphaned after an accidental fire at their home in Ballybeg, Waterford, in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Their mother, Johanna, 31, and father, Bryan, who was also 31, screamed at their three older children to get out, then they died cradling their 21-month-old daughter, Niamh. The children have been cared for by their loving grandparents, uncles and aunts.

Today, parish priest in Ballybeg, Fr Fergal Mac Eoinin, will try to comfort his community which has been devastated by the blaze. “There is no such thing as a life without suffering,” Fr Mac Eoinin will tell those gathered for the 11am funeral Mass today.

“Everybody suffers in some way or another, sometimes time heals, sometimes law, counselling or compensation can address the pain but there are other pains that do not heal, ones that we do not ‘get over’, pains that we carry with us for the rest of our lives. This is one of those pains.

“Time will certainly ease this pain but can never hope to erase it. It would be unreasonable to expect the families to simply return to their very changed lives as if nothing had happened.

“However it is part of Christian faith that tragedies such as this can make us better at understanding and make us strong enough to show mercy and sympathy with others who suffer.

“Bryan, Johanna and Niamh do not suffer where they are now — it is for those who remain to wear the dark colours of mourning and pain and for those of us who have known great suffering to stand in silent solidarity with Bryan and Johanna’s families today,” he added.

A trust fund has been set up to help the surviving O’Regan children. Donations can be made at any Bank of Ireland branch to account 40559976, sort code 90-62-16