Carlow crash victim remembered as 'beautiful soul, inside and out'

The funeral mass held for Katie Graham at Church of the Sacred Heart. Picture: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos

The death of a young woman in a crash alongside two friends in Carlow has brought “great sadness and shock” to the local community and wider afield, her funeral has heard.

Katie Graham from Ballickmoyler on the Laois/Carlow border died last Wednesday alongside her friends Daryl Culbert and Michael Kelly when the car collided with a tree.

She was remembered as a "beautiful soul, inside and out" who was just starting out in life. “We all have been deeply affected by the tragedy that happened during this past week,” said Fr Padraig Shelley.

“By any standards, [her life] was too short but she has left behind her a store of happy memories in all of your hearts, this kind and thoughtful young girl with her sense of humour and fun, her eagerness to do good and kind deeds at the drop of a hat,” he said.

The funeral at the Church of the Sacred Heart in Arles, Co Laois, heard that Ms Graham had a driven nature, and when she set her mind to something, “it usually happened”.

The 19-year-old aspired to follow in the footsteps of her late grandmother and become a primary school teacher having started her studies at Dublin City University in September.

“Katie, as a young woman, was just setting out in life,” he said before adding: “Katie also had that kind and caring spirit and I’m sure she would have made a wonderful contribution to any child’s life.

“All of those dreams were sadly cut short with that terrible accident during this past week. Katie’s mam and dad, her sister Laura and all the family have had so much taken from them in that brief moment,” he said.

Ms Graham who turned 19 in September shared the same interests as her father Damien.

(Left to right) Katie Graham, Daryl Culbert and Michael Kelly died last week when their car collided with a tree.

“If you were to think of two hobbies that a young girl would become attracted to, cars and guns wouldn’t be the first two things that would spring to mind, but that’s what Katie loved,” said Fr Shelley.

Ms Graham won trophies in competitive quad-bike riding, travelling across the country to compete while also attending the shooting range with her father before developing a love of cars “which knew no bounds”.

Her first car became her “pride and joy”, which she constantly tweaked and upgraded.

The funeral heard that her love of cars brought about a special group of close friends who shared the same interest, including Daryl Culbert and Michael Kelly.

Ms Graham’s friend Sharon who spoke on behalf of the family said she was a “beautiful soul, inside and out".

“Her smile would light up the room and it was completely infectious, and she was always up for the laugh,” she said adding that Ms Graham was “always in good form” and had a positive outlook on life.