Sea of pink for funeral of tragic Mari, 5
Pink balloons, teddy bears and flowers were all part of the final farewell for the little girl who lost her life in a house fire. Children from Mari’s school, Scoil na nAingeal Naofa, in Boyle, Co Roscommon, wore pink ribbons in their hair while people in the congregation wore pink scarves and flowers.
Her father made a journey from his hospital bed in Dublin to attend the funeral Mass of his daughter.
Richard Connolly, who fell from a roof while trying to rescue his three young daughters from the fire, was brought from the Mater Hospital to St Joseph’s Church in Boyle for the funeral.
He followed the white coffin as he was helped along in a wheelchair.
He suffered serious spinal injuries in the fall as well as a ruptured spleen and punctured lung. Richard wiped tears away as he sat in his wheelchair alongside the coffin during the service. He was flanked on the other side by Mari’s mother Teresa Keane, who gave birth to twin girls just days before the tragic fire.
Mari’s sister Lauren, 8, who escaped the blaze with Naomi, 6, said a prayer of the faithful during the service, while Mari’s grandmother Margaret Keane also did a reading.
There was an outpouring of grief as hundreds of people came to pay their respects and show solidarity with the Keane and Connolly families.
The funeral cortege made its way from Mari’s mother’s home in Church View and onto the Crescent before pausing for a minute’s silence outside Scoil na nAingeal Naofa where she was a senior infants pupil.
Leaving Certificate students from the Abbey Community College in Boyle also provided a guard of honour as the cortege made its way to St Joseph’s Church.
Fr Alan Conway concelebrated the funeral Mass with Fr Jim Finan, Fr Brian Conlon and Fr Frank McGauren.
Fr Conway said that Richard Connolly and Teresa Keane were experiencing one of the worst crosses in life — “the loss of your own child”.
He described her as a “happy child who loved everyone” and noted how she watched Dora the Explorer every day on repeat for hours.
He said the “little angel” would be remembered as a “friendly, bubbly and outgoing little girl who loved colouring and singing”.
Mari’s grandfather Richard Connolly Sr addressed the congregation after the Mass and thanked everybody for their support.
Choking back emotions Mr Connolly Sr concluded by saying: “I am honoured to have been Mari’s granddad during her short-lived life and all happy memories of her will be treasured by me forever.”
