Evan was due to make First Communion

One of the young boys who died in the Buncrana Pier tragedy was due to make his First Communion soon in the same church he will be buried from.
Fr Paddy O'Kane (file pic).Fr Paddy O'Kane (file pic).
Fr Paddy O'Kane (file pic).

Fr. Paddy O’Kane, from the Holy Family Church in Ballymagroarty, said little Evan McGrotty was due to join his classmates from St Eithne’s Primary School for the conferring of the Sacrament in May.

Fr O’Kane was speaking after visiting devastated relatives of Evan, his brother Mark and the other three family members who died in the tragedy.

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Mark, who was a First Year student at St Joseph’s Boys School, had also made his Confirmation last year, Fr. O’Kane said. The boys’ mother, Louise, who was attending a hen celebration in England when the tragedy unfolded, had returned by yesterday.

Fr O’Kane said the family is utterly devastated and that he held hands and hugged them before they said the Our Father together yesterday.

“They are just distraught,” he said. “They can’t believe it. It is horrendous.

“Words fail you to describe the pain and how tragic this is. Our hearts go out to Louise and to the family.”

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Earlier yesterday Fr. Michael Canny said his thoughts and prayers were with those relatives.

“Our hearts go out to them,” Fr Canny said.

“Everybody is stunned and people just can’t believe that this terrible tragedy happened at such a beautiful spot.”

Fr. O’Kane said the funerals of all five of those who lost their lives in Buncrana on Sunday will take place after a 2pm service on Holy Thursday at the Holy Family Church in Ballymagroarty.