Son of Mark McDaid (Ned) pays poignant tribute to his 'loving' father as he is laid to rest

Mr McDaid, who was in his 40s, passed away following a collision in Galway in the early hours of Sunday morning and his death shocked and saddened not only the local community, but people right across the North West, country and further afield.

A lorry driver ‘all his life,’ St Patrick’s Church, Aughaclay, Malin was overflowing with mourners, including many of his lorry driver friends, for Requiem Mass on Thursday morning.

In a moving Eulogy, his son, also called Mark, said his father was a ‘great dad,’ who was ‘funny and loved the craic’.

"He would never be able to stay angry for long, without seeing the brighter side of things. Dad was a real family man; he always done his best by us and mum.

He continued: “He always told us regularly how much he loved us and ensured we never wanted for anything,”

Mark Jnr told how his father was a ‘great son, brother, husband, dad, stepdad, granda and a friend to everyone who had the pleasure of meeting him’.

He added how his father will be ‘deeply missed’ by all and poignantly said that his family ‘hope to grow to be as kind, loving and great as you’.

Father Charlie Logue told mourners that they came with ‘many questions and few answers’.

"It is a very sad morning, in many ways.”

Mark, he said, was ‘full of life’ and ‘full of love’’

He was also a man who ‘had a great love for his family’. He was someone who could always see the hopeful and bright side and had ‘that great ability, no matter how bad things were, to always come back with an answer’.

Fr Logue said Mark’s mother told him how he’d be known to say: ‘Dry your eyes, carry on.’

Fr Logue added how there has been ‘so much tragedy’ and noted how Mark and his wife Katie had been together for many years, but ‘only got married in the summertime’. Prayers were also said for Mr McDaid’s brother, who is ill.

Mark McDaid (Ned), was laid to rest in St Mary’s Cemetery, Lagg following Requiem Mass.