Funeral takes place for grandparents and grandchild killed in Cashel crash

Simon Kelly

Crowds gathered to say goodbye to the family members.

The two grandparents and their infant grandchild who tragically died in a crash in Tipperary last week have been laid to rest in Cashel as family and friends have gathered at the funeral today, Sunday, August 3.

Thomas O’Reilly, 45, his wife Bridget O’Reilly, 46, and their grandson Tom O’Reilly died when the car in which they were travelling hit a wall last Tuesday. Tom’s parents, both aged 22, were also seriously injured in the accident.

Fr Enda Brady, who officiated at their funeral today, said that the tragedy has “left a family shattered, a community numbed and people grappling for words.”

He added:

“When this awful situation lands on your doorstep, then you know these are not just numbers, there is a face, there is a heart, there is a personality, there is an individual. Unfortunately, Tom and Bridget Reilly, and their grandson Tom, have joined the number for this year.

“But we don’t gather here today to remember them as a number. Tom and Bridget’s children remember the parents who loved and cared for them and their nephew, who, in three short years, endeared himself to the family.

“Their parents, brothers and sisters, cousins and extended family remember the people that were Tom and Bridget Reilly – they remember young Tom, the character that will be remembered throughout Ireland with his thumb raised in the air,” Fr Brady told the mourners.

“They remember the way they laughed and cried, the way they interacted, the way they were – these are the traits and qualities that we remember today as we celebrate the funeral Mass for a small boy and his grandparents.”

President Michael D Higgins was in attendance among the mourners today at the funeral.

Cashel funeral — Family and friends gather to say goodbye to Cashel crash victims (Image via Rolling News)

Fourth funeral in as many days for Tipperary crash victims

The tragic crash in Cashel happened just days after another crash in Clonmel which took the lives of four young people.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar offered his “sincere condolences” to the friends and family of those who passed away in the most recent Tipperary crash, while adding, “My thoughts are with everyone in Tipperary with this awful news coming so soon after the tragic deaths in Clonmel.”

The funeral is the fourth in as many days in the county for victims of road crashes. On Saturday, Zoey Coffey, one of four young people who died in a road crash in Clonmel in Tipperary last week, was laid to rest.

On Wednesday (August 30), Gardaí provided an update on the infant’s parents, stating that “both remain in hospital today, the male is being treated for serious injuries, the female being treated for less serious injuries.”

Tom’s mother, one of the people injured in the crash was seen at the funeral today with a black t-shirt featuring a photograph of her son.