Funeral notice for M9 crash victim removed from RIP.ie
A funeral notice for one of the teenagers killed in the M9 crash on Sunday morning has been removed from RIP.ie. The notice for Joe Carthy (15), from Athy, Co Kildare, went up on the website on Monday morning and was removed hours later.
RIP.ie, which is owned by The Irish Times Group, said it did not comment on individual funeral notices. Undertaker Joe Rigney, of Rigneys Funeral Directors, declined to comment on the removal of the notice.
The funeral notice for Carthy on the RIP.ie Facebook page attracted more than 600 comments when it was published. Some sympathised with the Carthy family's loss, while others expressed anger about the circumstances in which the group of masked teenagers drove a BMW the wrong way down the M9 motorway at 3am on Sunday. There was also sympathy expressed for the innocent victims of the tragedy.
St Michael's Boxing Club in Athy paid tribute to Carthy on its Facebook page. "All of us here at St Michael's were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Joe Carthy," it said. "We want to offer our sincere condolences to Joe's family and friends, and especially to his father Willie, a valued volunteer and member of the club. Our thoughts are also with those who were seriously injured in the collision, and with their families at this very difficult time." The boxing club did not open the Facebook page for comments.
Alex McCarthy's family publishes death notice
Meanwhile, the family of Alex McCarthy (16) from Carlow Town has published his death announcement. McCarthy died alongside Joe "Joey" Carthy (15) and Jack Kennedy (17) both from Athy, Jeremy O'Brien also from Carlow and Kamil Pustkowski (17) from Limerick. The teenagers were in a BMW car which was being driven the wrong way down the motorway between junctions 3 and 4 close to Moone, Co Kildare when they collided with a Hyundai car.
McCarthy's death notice details that he will be "sadly missed by parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, loving and heartbroken girlfriend Georgia, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews extended family, relatives and friends." His funeral details are to be published shortly. The condolence section allowing mourners to offer their sympathies to the family has not been activated.
Funeral notices for the four other teenagers who died – Kamil Pustkowski (17) from Limerick; Jack Kennedy, also 17, from Athy; Jeremy O'Brien (18) from Carlow; and Alex McCarthy (17) from Carlow – have not yet been published.
Injured remain in hospital
Sisters Alma and Niamh Kinsella, aged in their 30s, were in the front of their Hyundai car while their younger sister Ellie Hendricken who is in her 20s was in a rear seat passenger along with her nephew. Alma and Niamh remain in a critical condition in Tallaght University Hospital, their younger sister Ellie, is being treated for serious injuries in St Vincent's University Hospital after she was transferred from St Luke's Hospital in Kilkenny. The boy, who was also seriously injured, is being treated in Children's Health Ireland in Crumlin. All four are from the Carlow area.
Community support
A prayer vigil for the Carlow family, who all remain in hospitals in Dublin is to be held at 6.30pm on Friday in St Claire's Church, Graiguecullen, Carlow Town. The Graigue/Killeshin Parish said that they organised the vigil to pray for the full recovery of Ella, Niamh, Alma and Yemi, and that the community would ask God to surround their family with comfort and strength.
More than €300,000 has been raised for the three sisters and the young boy. Bryan Curley launched the GoFundMe.com fundraiser, which has received more than 11,000 donations and raised close to the target of €350,000. Curley said the collision has resulted in an "incredibly difficult and frightening time" for Ella, Niamh, Alma and their family, and that they are facing "a long and challenging road ahead".