Bray mourns as backpacker makes his final journey

HUNDREDS of mourners turned out yesterday to hear tributes to the Irish backpacker who died last week after falling into a coma on his dream holiday.

Dylan Curran, 26, from the Sugarloaf Crescent in Bray, Co Wicklow, died on Wednesday after almost a month in a coma.

Dylan suffered a blow to the head in a swimming pool accident in Thailand early last month, on the return leg of a year-long trip to Australia. He collapsed days later but doctors are unclear if the injury was the main cause of death.

Dylan was flown home by air ambulance last week and died on Wednesday in St Vincent’s Hospital, Dublin.

Yesterday, at his funeral mass in St Fergal’s Church, Ballywaltrim, in Bray, Fr Larry Behan told the crowd of mourners of the “great gift” Dylan was to his family and friends.

Fr Behan said Dylan, a “gentle soul”, lived life to the full.

“He loved life, family and friends, and in turn he was much loved by them,” he said.

“If the love alone people have for Dylan could have kept him alive, we would not be here today.”

Fr Behan paid tribute to the “entire community of Bray” for supporting the Curran family during the past month.

He also told mourners the memories they have of Dylan are “very important” and should be retained so that his friends can “keep connected to Dylan”.

“He was a marvellous young man who was an absolute ray of sunshine… He was that magnet sort of a person who drew people to him and made them feel good to be alive.”

Close friends brought to the altar gifts that symbolised Dylan’s life, including his love of music and of his career as an electrician.

His sister April said Dylan meant “something important to everyone” and that he was “a friend to everyone he knew”.

She said that although Dylan had been travelling through Australia for the past year, he was always a “home bird” who couldn’t wait to get home to see his friends.

Dylan’s older brother Tom also paid tribute.

He said there “wasn’t a bad bone” in Dylan’s body.

“To say that he was one in a million is a massive understatement… Dylan was a special gift that came into our lives.”

A friend remarked on how popular Dylan was with women. “People loved to be around him, he was the coolest, most handsome lad,” he said.

Dylan was taken from the church to the Mount Jerome Crematorium.

He is survived by mother Elaine, father Dáithí, and siblings April and Tom.