Village prepares to say goodbye to three brothers

The people of Passage East have always gone to sea, but yesterday all they could do was think about the boat that failed to come home.

On it were the three Bolger brothers, Paul (Bully), Shane (Jock) and Kenneth (Kenny), who died following the capsizing of their 19ft vessel the Dean Leanne near Brownstown Head off Tramore. In the words of Paul’s twin sister Paula, “will someone tell me that yesterday never happened”.

The community centre in the picturesque village was being readied, not for the wake, which will now instead take place today at Hennessy’s Funeral Home in Waterford, but for the gathering of locals who will descend ahead of the three funerals tomorrow. Shane and Kenny will be laid to rest following a service in Crooke, followed straight afterwards by Paul’s funeral in nearby Faithlegg Cemetery in Cheekpoint.