'Happy 23rd birthday our beautiful boy', mother tells funeral of Cork student who died in cliff fall
The coffin is shouldered after Requiem Mass for the Munster Technology University student Conor King at St. Patrick's Church, Cork. Conor lost his life in an accident at Garrettstown, Cork last weekend.
The young man who died in a cliff tragedy in West Cork last weekend packed 100 years of experience into his short life, his heartbroken mother said as he was buried on his 23rd birthday.
Fighting back tears, Maura King, wished her only son, Conor, a happy birthday during an emotional tribute from the altar at his funeral Mass in Cork on Wednesday morning.
Flanked by her husband, Eamonn, and their daughter, Áine, she also paid tribute to his friends for their bravery last Saturday night, and to those involved in the recovery and rescue operation.
She said she and her family had tried to write a tribute to Conor in recent days but couldn’t find the words, until she climbed into his bed at 4am this morning.
“It is an honour to be your family. Help us be as kind as you. Conor succeeded in squashing 100 years into 23 years. Happy 23rd birthday our beautiful boy,” she said.
Conor, 22, was on a camping trip with friends near Garretstown in west Cork last Saturday when he fell into a cliff-top blowhole and onto rocks in a sea cave some 20m below.
A friend who tried to help him had to be rescued in a major operation by emergency services. Conor’s body was recovered around midnight.
His funeral Mass at St Patrick’s Church in Rochestown was held in accordance with Government Covid-19 guidelines, which limits attendance to 25 people.
Mourners were led by his parents and sister, his grandparents, Dinny, Elma and Alphonsus, and his extended family, including his aunts Leona and Denise, uncles Des, Brian and Stephen and their families.
Many people gathered outside. Many more watched the ceremony online.
Ms King read a poem, written by her sister, Denise, entitled ‘Conor King’s Family’, where each letter stands for a word to represent the essence of Conor:
is for caring, for that’s what you are
is for original, you’re our brightest star
is for naughty, naughty ...but nice
is for an opportunist, you never think twice
is for your respect, oh so much for Áine it’s true, it pours out bold, always know it’s to protect you
is for kayak, Des and his boys
is for island, Gran and Dinny steady with poise
is for noble, you’re a king after all
is for glory, Godfather, be proud, stand tall
is for Conor’s support, through love, through sport. Hear his love for you in the rhythmic soft waves, in the Spring rain, when the warm morning sun hits your face, it will ease the pain.
is for friends, certainly a lot for one lad
is for adoration, your Mum and your Dad
is for mystery, that we could not solve
is for infinite, Leo’s love distance will not dissolve
is for the love of the sea, your place of rebirth
is for young, never to grow old in this ever spinning earth
She also spoke about the support from his “many families” who lined the route of the funeral cortege – his former schools, his friends at MTU, his sports clubs, and his work colleagues at the Rochestown Park Hotel.
She singled out his pals who were with him on Saturday, especially Gary Barrett, who bravely went into the blowhole in a bid to help her son, and the rescue services.
“We are forever grateful. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you also to the West Cork Rapid Response, and the West Cork Underwater Search and Rescue. Nobody ever wants to avail of these services. They are all volunteers. We are so grateful that they were there for my boy,” she said.
A friend of Conor’s, Daragh, who spoke on behalf of all of his pals, said Conor was always making those around him laugh.
“Although the majority of jokes were about him, he took it on the chin and always had a come-back,” he said.
“I know Conor cared for us all and I think we should all take some comfort from the fact that he would want to keep smiling.”
He also paid tribute to Gary Barrett’s bravery.
“It takes a special type of person to do what he did and knowing that he [Conor] wasn’t alone brings us all some comfort. His bravery will never be forgotten. Everyone who was there that night played their part and for that I say thank you,” he said.
Addressing Conor’s parents, he said: “I can’t thank you enough for bringing Conor into our lives. The mark he made is one of joy and laughter and he will be missed but the stories will last forever.”
Symbols of Conor’s interests, loves and passions in life were brought to the altar.
His goddaughter Sarah brought the scooter he gave her for Christmas, his nieces Amy and Alan brought bodyboards, his cousin, Sean Duffy, carried a rugby ball to the altar as mourners were told that Conor wore the Christian’s jersey with pride, relishing the cut and thrust of the game, shoulder to shoulder with his teammates.
His pal Gary Barrett brought a dry robe to the altar, symbolising his love of swimming, while his cousin DJ brought a PlayStation controller.
His sister, Áine, carried his surfboard to the altar to symbolise the “precious and magical times” they enjoyed “catching the waves in their favourite playground – the sea”.
Then his mother carried his swimming hat to the altar as mourners were told she would wear it during her daily sea swims, to keep his memory close.
Celebrant Fr Sean O’Sullivan, a family friend, said knowing that Conor spent his last hours doing what he loved should bring “some small measure of comfort to his family and friends”.
The national flag flew at half-mast over the Munster Technological University (MTU) campus as a mark of respect for Conor, who was a third-year student of biomedical engineering.
He had transferred from the BSc information technology programme to biomedical engineering to align his interests in biomedical engineering, and specifically biomechanics, with artificial intelligence.
MTU president, Professor Maggie Cusack, said his final-year project centred on a prosthetic device for children which could be adjusted as the child grew.
“Conor combined biomechanics and machine vision in conjunction with AI to detect when the “gait” changed and the prosthetic needed to be adjusted,” she said.
“Conor was a dedicated student who was very popular amongst his wider class group and was well-liked by all staff in MTU with whom he interacted. He has made a lasting impression on all who knew him and will be sadly missed.”
Staff at the Rochestown Park Hotel’s leisure centre, who described Conor as “hugely popular, enthusiastic and dependable”, formed a guard of honour for the funeral cortege.
“Saying Conor was a lifeguard is doing him an injustice because as well as looking after the safety of patrons using the pool, he treated any minor scrapes that would happen from time to time in a busy pool, helped to look after the leisure centre plant room, did health and safety chemical tests on the pool and last, but by no means least, looked after his beloved fish tank,” the hotel said in a statement.
“A local lad, Conor was the person that leisure centre manager Lorraine Noonan entrusted to do the regular checks and balances that the pool needed when Covid-19 meant that in March 2020, we had to close the hotel and leisure centre.
“A completely dependable guy, who came in up to three times a week, to make sure chemical levels, pumps and the heating of the pool was all regulated.
“Working in the centre since he was 18, staff members past and present are in shock with his untimely passing.
“Club members will no doubt miss the enthusiastic way he went about his work, his happy disposition and his can-do attitude.”
Conor’s remains were taken from the church for cremation afterwards.
The King family has asked that donations, in lieu of flowers, be made to West Cork Rapid Response or to the West Cork Underwater Search and Rescue unit.
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