Bishop includes prayers for dead boys as hundreds attend vigil for family injured in M9 crash

Hundreds of people gathered at St Clare's Church in Graiguecullen on Friday evening for the prayer vigil at for Niamh and Alma Kinsella who were seriously injured alongside their sister Ella Hendricken, and a seven-year-old boy in last Sunday's M9 crash. Picture: Colin Keegan/Collins

A community has been left “numb” after three sisters and a young boy were seriously injured in the horror crash last weekend that left five teenage boys dead, a vigil of support for the family has heard.

Ella Hendricken and Niamh and Alma Kinsella were travelling with the child to the airport for a holiday when the car they were in was struck by another vehicle driving the wrong way down the M9 motorway in Kildare on Sunday morning.

They were all taken to hospital for treatment of serious injuries.

Five teenagers in the other vehicle all died in the crash, which has renewed focus on enforcement of laws against dangerous driving, the regulation of social media content, and the provision of State care to children.

A prayer vigil in solidarity with the injured women and boy was held on Friday evening in Saint Clare’s Church in Graiguecullen, Carlow, near the Laois border. 

Graigcullen LGFA members Bailee Bolton, Lucy Abbey, Lana Abbey, and Chloe McCartney arriving for the prayer vigil at St Clare's Church in Graiguecullen on Friday evening. Picture: Colin Keegan/Collins

Hundreds of well-wishers gathered for the vigil, which was also livestreamed.

A fundraiser for the affected family had received more than €675,000 in donations by the time of the gathering.

Fr John Dunphy told the vigil: “We gather tonight, first of all, in prayer. And when a community comes together in prayer, it gives great strength.” 

Fr Dunphy said the hearts of the community had been “numb” since Sunday morning.

“We prayed that they will recover. We knew it would be a long road back. Thankfully, they’re on that road and please God, they will make a full recovery.” 

Alma Kinsella, Niamh Kinsella, and Ella Hendricken were injured alongside a seven-year-old child in the motorway crash last Sunday.

At the same service, Bishop Denis Nulty said that the community felt “shock” as well as “maybe fear and grief” as it gathered in “solidarity” and support for the family.

He said they deserved the prayers offered, “particularly at a time when words fail and indeed when we feel helpless regarding what to do or where to turn to”.

Bishop Nulty offers prayers for boys who died 

"The thing about it is that they could be any one of us on the road from Carlow to catch an early morning flight from Dublin Airport.” 

He said it was “only right that we gather and know how much this gathering will mean” to the affected family.

Bishop Nulty also thanked emergency personnel who arrived at the scene and medical staff who have cared for the family in the following days.

He then turned his attention to those who died in the other crash, while urging the public to be “careful” in social media posts about the incident. Bishop Nulty said: 

We also remember the five boys in the car — that’s the Christian thing to do. 

"They too have heartbroken parents, family, and friends.

“We pray for them this evening... Words can hurt, but they also have the power to heal. To be careful of our social media posting; what is posted cannot be unposted; to be careful of our commentary.” 

Bishop Denis Nulty urged the congregation at the prayer vigil to be 'careful of our social media posting' and 'to be careful of our commentary'. Picture: Colin Keegan/Collins

The service included a prayer for healing, which involved sharing the flame from one source candle in the church among smaller candles held by those gathered.

Funerals for two of the teenagers in the other car were held in Carlow and Athy, Co Kildare earlier on Friday, while it was reported that there was also a gathering for mourners for a third boy in Limerick.