The Late Sean Carlin He would be in their minds, hearts, thoughts and especially when they needed that touch of inspiration. That how his many friends summed up the late Sean T. Carlin's short 23 year old life as they said their final goodbyes. His Requiem Mass in Castlefin was one of the saddest the Finn Valley town had seen for many years. Devastation and shock, two words which summed up the feelings of its community. Since the news of Sean T.'s untimely passing and the manner in which it happened unfolded, the closely knit community have been struggling to understand the events which claimed one of their own. These feelings initially found tangible expression in the scale of the cortege which accompanied his body home from Letterkenny General Hospital. It continued with the hundreds of mourners that called to the family home at Dungorman for the wake and subsequent funeral. St Mary's Church, Castlefin was packed to overflowing yesterday as family, relatives and friends gathered to pay their final respects to Sean T as he was affectionately known. Addressing the congregation and in particular all the young people present, local C.C. Fr Desmond Polke sadly said that they were living in a culture of late hours, drink and drugs. "Remember when you go out, your parents cannot sleep because you, their treasured children, are not in". He said in Sean's few short years he had achieved a lot. He was a man of great energy and personality, motivating, life giving, an energiser and judging by the crowd that had turned up for his funeral, a gatherer of people and a leader. He added death taught them three things, the fragility of life, how precious it was and the urgency of love. Present on the altar with Fr Polke were Fr Patrick McGarvey C.C., Stranorlar, Fr Adrian McGavigan, Chaplain, Letterkenny General Hospital and Fr Brian Conway, Chaplain, Sligo General Hospital where the deceased's sister , Margaret, was based. Music for the Mass was provided by Laurence McCormick and Mairead Holmes while colleague, team mate and friend, Dominic McGlinchey also addressed the congregation. In his panegyric he spoke of his commitment to his beloved Robert Emmets GAA and Castlefin Celtic soccer clubs, his dedication, commitment, sheer will to win and inspiration to everyone who was privileged to know him. "Sean lived life to the full and inspired all around him. He was a born leader who captained teams in both codes from under age to senior level. He had his finest hour in captaining the Robert Emmets team to the Junior Championship in 2002. In these last few seasons Sean made an immense contribution in their respective promotions to higher grades." He added all players were immensely proud to have been touched by his presence. "Sean will always live in our minds, in our hearts, in our thoughts and especially when we need that touch of inspiration," he said. There were poignant and sad scenes as a lone piper led the funeral party out of the church. Courtesy of the Donegal Democrat, May 2004 Tweet

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