McGirr, Mark
July 21, 2009Three weeks ago the family of Mark McGirr had gathered to celebrate his 21st birthday. On Wednesday they were together one more for his funeral.
Several hundred mourners packed St. Mary's Church in Dunmoyle for the funeral of the young GAA footballer, who was killed in a horror car smash near Aughnacloy.
They heard Mr McGirr described as a "gentle, modest, decent and always smiling" young man who had been crazy about cars.
Mr McGirr died when the Mitsubishi Evolution in which he was a passenger crashed into a cement wall on the Caledon Road last Sunday morning.
Another man, Cathal Mulgrew (21) from Aughnacloy, remains in a critical condition at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.
Brian McCrory (18) from Ballygawley is also in a stable condition in Craigavon Area Hospital.
The two other men injured in the crash- Daniel Carson and Pauric Woods from Ballygawley - have since been discharged from hospital.
It has since emerged that Mr McGirr was the third former pupil of St. Ciaran's High School to die on the roads in the last two years.
Addressing mourners, parish priest Fr Michael Seery said their deaths were a "stark reminder' of how dangerous the roads can be.
"Mark's death is a huge blow and a huge loss to his friends and family," he said. "He was the fourth fatality I have had to deal with in the last two years."
Fr Seery said Mr McGirr loved his Mitsubishi 'Evo' car - and two of the cars led the funeral procession from the family home at Whitebridge Road in Sixmilecross.
After Requiem Mass, his team-mates from the Beragh Red Knights club formed a guard of honour, as the coffin, carried by Mark's father and brother and other family members, passed by.
The club's chairman, Gerard Treacy, said that Mr McGirr had been substitute goalkeeper when they played in Division Three of the All-County League just 24 hours before his death.
"Mark represented the club at underage level and then came back to play this season along with his brother, Peter," he said. "I know that he had ambitions of breaking into our senior team.
"From an early age Mark had a great love for doing goals and had represented us at all levels. Obviously this is a terrible blow to all those within the club".
Speaking before the funeral Mark's sister Carol McGirr described him as a "quiet, gentle and fun-loving" brother who was an enthusiastic GAA supporter.
She said Mark, met his girlfriend, Lisa McGoldrick, and the pair had adored each other.
"It is such a tragedy. We are a really close family and we are all best friends. Our hearts are breaking and I don't know what we are going to do".
Mr McGirr is survived by his parents Peter and Ann, and elder siblings Carol, Fiona, Laura, Pauline and Peter jnr.
Courtesy of The Tyrone Times
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