A town united by unimaginable grief: Streets come to a standstill for siblings killed in Irish car crash tragedy – before voice message from Conor McGregor is played at funeral

The town of Clonmel, Co Tipperary, has come to a standstill for the funeral service of a brother and sister killed in a car crash on their way to celebrate her exam results.

Luke McSweeney, 24, and Grace McSweeney, 18, were killed last Friday along with Grace’s classmates Nicole Murphy, 18, and Zoey Coffey, 18, when their car hit a wall in the town of Clonmel.

A voice message from Conor McGregor – a ‘hero’ of Luke’s – was played at the funeral. The MMA fighter sent his condolences to the family and described Luke as a ‘good man’.

Mourners joined together to remember the siblings as they were laid to rest at Saints Peter and Paul’s Church in Clonmel on Friday morning. During the service, Grace was described as ‘full of life’ and Luke was said to pass ‘gems of wisdom’ to all his friends.

Solemn crowds lined the street as two hearses drove side-by-side through the town towards the church.  A guard of honour of girls from Presentation College, where Ms McSweeney was a student, also formed outside Saints Peter and Paul’s Church.

Mourners follow the hearses carrying the coffins of siblings Luke, 24, and Grace McSweeney, 18, as they make their way to Saints Peter and Paul’s Church, Clonmel, Co Tipperary

The coffins of the siblings are carried into Saints Peter and Paul’s Church on Friday morning

Luke McSweeney (left), his sister Grace McSweeney (right), 18, and her two school friends were all killed in the horrific crash in Clonmel

The town Clonmel, Co Tipperary, has come to a standstill for the funeral service as crowds lined the streets

The two coffins, one of white wood and one of brown, were carried in before crowds filed in through the doors of the church after them. 

As the pews in the church filled up with those wanting to say goodbye, the street outside still remained packed with mourners. All the shops and businesses in the town closed during of the funeral.

The siblings’ parents described Grace as a ‘princess who was born to shine’ and her brother as ‘a warrior’. 

Their mother Brigid McSweeney said: ‘Grace was gentle and very shy and always had to have a friend by her side. Luke was strong, not only in body but also in mind.’ 

In the voice message McGregor said: ‘I just want to send out my condolences to Luke and his family. I just want to say rest in peace Luke.

‘I hear many, many things about you. You’re a good man. I’m very sad hearing this news and I want to send my well wishes and my condolences.’

The two coffins, one of white wood and one of brown, were carried in before crowds filed in through the doors of the church after them

President Michael D. Higgins arrives for the funeral of crash victims, siblings Luke, 24, and Grace McSweeney, 18, at Saints Peter and Paul’s Church, Clonmel

Irish President Michael D Higgins, Commandant Claire Mortimer, aide de camp representing the Taoiseach, and Education Minister Norma Foley joined the mourners at the church. 

Father Billy Meehan opened requiem mass, thanking the community for their support for the families of the young people.

‘We hope and pray together we will be able to move forward,’ he said.

‘It’s a great sign and mark of respect that all the shops and businesses in our town are closed down for these couple of hours.

‘We greet our president, Michael D. It’s a sign of his great commitment to the people of Ireland, to his reaching out to people at all times in their lives.’

Mr McSweeney had been driving the teenagers last Friday when the car overturned and crashed into a wall in Clonmel.

The youngsters were on their way to celebrate their Leaving Certificate exam results, which they had received that day.

Family members and mourners follow the hearses carrying the coffins of the siblings

Pupils from Presentation Secondary School, Clonmel, lined the streets for the funeral of pupil Grace McSweeney and her brother Luke

The Order of Service for the funeral mass of Luke, 24, and Grace McSweeney, 18, is pictured

As the pews in the church filled up with those wanting to say goodbye, the street outside still remained packed with mourners

Mourners gather for the funeral of siblings killed in the car crash last week

Mourners follow the hearses carrying the coffins of siblings Luke, 24, and Grace McSweeney, 18, as they make their way to Saints Peter and Paul’s Church

The funeral for Ms Murphy took place yesterday at St John the Baptist Church in Kilcash, near Clonmel.

Again, hundreds of people gathered outside the church as the hearse carrying the teenager’s white coffin arrived just after 12pm.

Classmates from Loreto Secondary School, where Ms Murphy was a pupil, gathered under umbrellas and formed a guard of honour as the casket was brought into the church.

President Higgins and Education Minister Norma Foley are also among those in attendance.

Tributes poured in for the four youngsters, and around 2,000 people attended a vigil in Clonmel on Sunday evening, with people lighting candles and placing pictures on stairs at a local square.

Pictures on Monday showed hundreds of flowers placed along a wall outside Loreto Secondary School near the scene of a crash.

Ms Coffey will be laid to rest in Clonmel later on Saturday.

Nicole Murphy (left), 18, and Zoey Coffey (right), 18, were also killed in the car crash. All four passengers were fatally injured in the accident in Co Tipperary last week

People view tributes at the scene of a crash, in memory of Luke McSweeney, 24, his sister Grace McSweeney, 18, Zoey Coffey, 18, and Nicole Murphy, 18, who all died while on the way to celebrate exam results

Loreto Secondary School students attend the funeral of Nicole Murphy at St John the Baptist Church in Kilcash, near Clonmel, Co Tipperary, Thursday

Friday’s joint funeral comes after three more lives were lost in another road tragedy in Co Tipperary days after the Clonmel crash – sending shock waves through the local community still reeling from Friday’s incident.

A young boy and his grandparents died in a single-vehicle collision in Cashel on Tuesday evening. Thomas O’Reilly, 45, his wife Bridget O’Reilly, 46, and their three-year-old grandson Tom O’Reilly were killed.

The child’s parents, both aged 22, were injured in the crash. The man is being treated for serious injuries while gardai said the woman had sustained less serious injuries.

The single-vehicle collision occurred shortly before 9pm on Tuesday when a car hit a wall in the Windmill-Knockbulloge area of Cashel.

A vigil for the victims is to be held in St John the Baptist Church in Cashel on Thursday afternoon.

A week of tragedy on Ireland’s roads has also seen two male motorcyclists aged in their 40s killed in separate road crashes on Sunday evening in Dublin and in Belmont, Co Offaly.

On Tuesday morning a man in his 40s died in a single-car crash at Carrowreagh, Co Donegal, while on Wednesday there was another tragedy on the roads when a three-year-old girl was knocked down and killed in a collision in Portlaoise in Co Laois.