'Cherish and enjoy your kids,' father of six-year-old Matthew Healy tells funeral mass

"I know that he would have grown into a most decent and capable man, had he been given the chance. However, now he will be forever six years old," James Healy told those who gathered to say goodbye to six-year-old Matthew.

The coffin of Matthew Healy is shouldered into the Church of the Immaculate Conception for requiem mass in Watergrasshill, Cork. Picture: Dan Linehan

The father of six-year-old Matthew Healy moved an entire congregation to tears as he uttered the heartbreaking words: “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you".

People lined the streets as Matthew was brought from his home in Watergrasshill to the Church of the Immaculate Conception.