‘Stay away from drugs’ pleads priest at funeral

A priest appealed to young people to stay away from drugs as he prepared to bury a 22-year-old killed by a lethal batch of ecstasy-like pills.

Although gardaí are awaiting toxicology reports, they believe Oisin Crawford died at his friend’s flat in St Johnston, Co Donegal, from an overdose of a substance known as Double Cross or Double Black.

The HSE issued a warning about the substance after Oisin’s death three days ago and his friend Simon Lynch took ill.

Parish priest Mgr Daniel Carr said in his homily at the funeral Mass: “I would like to make a plea — simple and very straight forward. I would like to send a message to our young people.

“The plea is simple: keep away from drugs. Do not experiment with them. They are highly dangerous. Keep away from alcohol. Alcohol can be a first step to drugs.”

More than 1,500 mourners were at the Mass for Oisin at St Baithin’s Parish Church in St Johnston.

Mgr Carr said: “We can only imagine how crushing this news was for the parents of those young people and their siblings.

“People were numbed and shocked as they struggled to grasp what had happened. I remember groups of people standing in a little village saying very little, trying to support each other.”

He said what had started as a beautiful day had turned into a black day for the community.

Four people were rushed to Letterkenny General Hospital after taking the pills at the party in 22-year-old Simon Lynch’s flat in Main Street, St Johnston.

Three, including an 18-year-old girl, were released later that day.

The fourth, Simon Lynch, has been taken off the critical list.