Crash victim buried with full honours

A MEMBER of the naval service who died in a road accident on Sunday afternoon was buried yesterday with full military honours.

Able Seaman Alec Murphy, 29, of Old Cork Road, Limerick died instantly after his motorbike was in collision with a jeep at Ballysimon, on the outskirts of Limerick.

The accident happened when he was returning from a bike rally in Waterford. Head of the Irish Naval Service, Commodore Mark Mellett led a large navy contingent at the funeral. The Band of the First Southern Brigade led the cortege from Our Lady Queen of Peace in Janesboro to Mount St Oliver Cemetery.

The father-of-one joined the naval service seven years ago and was a specialist technician at the National Maritime College in Cork.

Fr Pat O’Sullivan, PP, Our Lady Queen of Peace told mourners at the funeral Mass: “Even though Alec’s family are greatly saddened today, they are still celebrating his contribution and his presence in his family. They will deeply miss him.”

Navy chaplain Fr Des Campion was one of the concelebrants at the Mass.

Colleagues fired a gun salute as the coffin was lowered into the grave.

An uncle of the dead seaman, Tony Deloughrey, who is a member of the defence forces attached to the 3rd Field Signals at Sarsfield Barracks in Limerick, said the family were very proud of Alec.

The esteem in which he was held in the defence forces, he said, was reflected by the funeral with full military honours attended by colleagues from the naval service and the army.

He said Alec was returning from a bike rally in Waterford on Sunday afternoon when the accident happened.

Mr Deloughrey said: “His biker friends who were travelling with him remained on at the scene for hours so that he would not be alone.”