Kian Dawson-Kirk funeral: Mourners told 16-year-old car crash victim was a 'most loving' son and 'the ultimate likeable rogue'
The funeral of 16-year-old road crash victim Kian Dawson-Kirk has been told that he was both a "most loving" son and "the ultimate likeable rogue" with his friends.
Mourners gathered at St Brigid’s Church in the Shantallow district of Londonderry city to bid farewell to the aspiring barber after his fatal road crash in Donegal on Saturday night (a crash which also left his cousin Eoghan, 20, dead).
Some emblems were placed near his coffin at the start of the service: a Derry City sports top, a sign for Spurs' home-ground of White Hart Lane, and a pennant from Don Boscos FC.
Father Sean O’Donnell said those present had gathered both to remember him and "to say thank you for the gift that he was".
Though "Kian was taken from us far too soon, we find solace in the promise that he's now resting in one of those dwelling places prepared by our Lord".
The priest told the funeral that Kian had "developed a flair for barbering" and was "buzzing and full of enthusiasm for continuing the journey he was on – he was looking forward to starting and developing that barbering training and travelling the world".
He was "kind, loyal, funny and generous – and very expressive, as he talked with his face and hands" and was "just a wee character".
Fr O’Donnell continued: "He genuinely cared for everyone he met from any and every walk of life. The ultimate likeable rogue.
"Always up for mischief, loved the craic and banter – I hear his granda laughing from here. If you dared him to do something he was guaranteed to do it.
"He was infectious and made everyone he met laugh.
"When he got grounded, which was often, at one point his friends begged his parents to let him out because they missed is humour and because he brought the craic and fun to the group."
He added: "He was empathetic. The most loving carer. Fiona [his mother] reflected and shared that he helped look after her while unwell with everything: helping her in and out of bed, walking up and down the stairs, in and out of the car, whatever."
Mourners also heard that, although Kian never knew it, his family had planned a trip for him to White Hart Lane for this October.
"The beautiful game serves as a reflection of the journey that we all take," said Fr O’Donnell.
"Kian played his last match on Friday evening past. And on the football field, Kian played with heart, with determination, and a spirit that inspired everyone around him.
"Each match is a journey with its own challenges, victories, and lessons, just like our journey through life.
"Football, as in life, there are moments of triumph and moments of loss. Sometimes the game doesn't go as we planned or wanted and we face setbacks that seem insurmountable.
"But just as a team rallies together, supports one another, and finds the strength to continue, so too must we come together now, leaning on each-other, lifting each-other up, finding hope in the promise that Kian's journey hasn't ended – it's just moved to a new field, one where he's playing the ultimate match in God's eternal stadium…
"Kian may no longer be physically with us on the pitch of life, but his spirit, like a cherished team-mate, will always be with us.
"His love, his laughter, and his passion will continue to inspire us as we remember that in God's game plan there's a place for all of us in the end. We're all winners in the end."
Delivering the service alongside Fr O’Donnell was Fr Roni Zacharias.
Interment afterwards was in St Mary’s Cemetery, Ardmore.