Drumconrath mourns young crash victim as hundreds gather for emotional farewell

There were deeply emotional scenes in Drumconrath this morning as the community gathered to say farewell to 23-year-old Alan McCluskey, one of five young people tragically killed in last weekend’s road accident.

The Church of St Peter and St Paul was filled to capacity, with President Catherine Connolly among the mourners who came to support the McCluskey family and honour Alan’s memory.

As Alan’s remains arrived, members of Drumconrath GAA stood in silent formation to form a guard of honour. Along the route to the church, tractors bearing Alan’s name travelled ahead of the cortege a fitting tribute to a young man whose life was deeply rooted in farming and rural work.

Before the Mass began, a procession of symbolic items was brought forward, each reflecting an important part of Alan’s life, personality and passions.

Photographs of Alan with his parents, Bernie and Martin, and with his girlfriend, Chloe, were placed first, symbolising the tight-knit family at the centre of his world.

His work boots, hard hat, a roll of tape he always carried, and a Fence Craft logo represented the dedication and pride he brought to his trade. A customised licence plate made by close friends, reading “Forever 23,” spoke to his love of cars, machinery and the hours he spent working on engines.

Miniature models of a John Deere and a Ford 7010 tractor, along with small farm animals, acknowledged Alan’s lifelong bond with the fields and the land he loved.

Travel mementos including an Emirates business-class ticket and photos from his trips abroad captured his sense of adventure and his enthusiasm for seeing the world.

His favourite records from AC/DC to Luke Combs, along with his drumsticks, reflected the music that gave him joy and soundtracked so many moments of his young life.

Celebrating the Mass, Fr Finian Connaughton Parish Priest of Drumconrath–Meath Hill and someone who had known Alan since infancy thanked the community for gathering to undertake what he called “the painful exercise” of saying goodbye to “a young man, a son, a brother, a friend, and to commend him to the care of Almighty God.”

He spoke of the sense of disbelief felt across the parish since Alan’s sudden death. “Sudden and unexpected death does terrible things to us,” he said. “There remains an air of incomprehension that this is happening to someone who sat in these benches only two Sundays ago, someone we saw driving his van through the village a few days ago.”

In his homily, Fr Connaughton drew on the Gospel story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, describing how their grief and confusion mirrored the community’s own. The Easter candle, he said, stood as a reminder of hope, of light in darkness, and the Christian promise of new life beyond death.

Fr Connaughton reflected on his long connection with the McCluskey family, recalling Alan’s baptism “a day of great singing” and the many parish events where Alan was ever-present, from festivals and music shows to church decorations and community projects.

“The timeline and details of our engagements are too numerous to mention,” he said, describing Alan as someone who was always willing to help.

He spoke with particular admiration for Alan’s faith, describing it as “exceptional” in someone so young. Alan attended Mass every Sunday and participated in many additional parish events, including the recent Redemptorist Novena in Dundalk, which he attended each evening after work. “Sunday is there for a reason,” Alan would say, never working on that day a habit shaped by his grandfather’s influence.

The priest also highlighted Alan’s instinctive kindness and loyalty to his friends, recalling how, at just 14, he looked out for someone who had fallen into the wrong crowd. “Even then, he was watching out for others,” he said a simple but powerful expression of Christian love and care.

Fr Connaughton spoke movingly about Alan’s devotion to his parents. “He adored Bernie and Martin,” he said. “It was evident at home, in the yard, on the site and especially here on a Sunday morning, where he sat right beside them at the front of the church.”

In a lighter moment, he remembered Alan’s determination to leave school behind. After much persuasion, Alan completed his final Junior Cert exam finishing the paper in record time so he could get back to the silage pit.

“The fields, the fences and the animals became his university,” the priest said, “with Bernie and Martin as his professors and Alan a top student.”