“MANY glowing tributes were paid to Lorcán over the past couple of weeks, and all of these speak to us about the very special young person that Lorcán was.” Those were the words of Fr Charles Byrne at Monday’s Requiem Mass for Hilltown man Lorcán Branagan, who tragically passed away in Sydney on 24 March.
Welcoming mourners to the village’s St John’s Church, the parish priest said that, whilst “death always brings sadness”, it is “especially sad when it is the death of a young person”. “To our way of thinking, Lorcán naturally enough should have had so many more years to enjoy life,” he stated. “We pray that the Lord will be a strength and a comfort to you, his family – his parents Tony and Terri, his brother Pádraig, his sister Caitlín and her partner Lorcan, his girlfriend Shona, and all the family circle – and his many friends.”
Beginning his sermon, Fr Byrne described “the devastating shock and grief” that the news of the 26-year-old’s death – six years after the passing of his brother Peárce – had brought to “the Branagan family, his family circle, his friends, and to our local community here in Clonduff, and his friends too in Australia”. “Lorcán’s death emphasises to us all the slenderness of the thread between life and death, and the suddenness with which it can be broken; however, we are not without hope,” he continued. “When we bring the vision of God into the picture, we realise that, for Lorcán, life has changed to eternal life, and it is that hope we have been celebrating in our Easter season.”
The priest talked of Mr Branagan’s love of Gaelic football – he had played at all the different levels for Clonduff GAC, and also played hurling – and his love of travelling that had led “to an adventure of a lifetime, enjoying life in Sydney with his girlfriend Shona, his cousins and friends from Clonduff, and with many other friends he had met there”. He also highlighted just how important family had been to the local man. “You, his family, were very central in his life,” said Fr Byrne. “You have many happy memories of his kindness and care. “There was a very close bond between Lorcán and his brother Peárce. “They are now reunited in eternal life, so may the Lord be a comfort to you. “Lorcán’s life was much shorter than what we would have hoped for; however, he had put a lot of living into a short life. “We give thanks for his life, a life lived well.”
Bringing his sermon to a close, the priest thanked the search team that recovered Mr Branagan’s body, the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust, and Young Ireland GAA Sydney – the Hilltown man’s adopted club – and clergy in the Australian city for “a beautiful Memorial Mass and the tributes paid to Lorcán”. “May the Lord be a strength and comfort to you, Tony and Terri, his brother Pádraig and sister Caitlin and her partner Lorcan, and his girlfriend Shona,” he concluded. “May the Lord bless Lorcán’s niece, baby Ríona. “May he rest in peace.”
Speaking at the service on behalf of Clonduff GAC, Ross Carr began by saying that “life is precious and incredibly fragile”, and that the last two weeks had illustrated to him that “the longevity of a person’s life does not dictate their worth”. “Lorcán lived a big, brave, beautiful life filled with love; that’s all of us can hope and strive for,” he added.
Addressing the Branagan family, Mr Carr said: “We are all heartbroken for you. “I can’t comprehend the unimaginable horror you are all going through, but I want you to know that you will always be in our thoughts and prayers. “During the days and months ahead, my hope for you is that Ríona provides the light to guide you through this darkness.”
The Clonduff clubman highlighted that Mr Branagan’s friends were “heartbroken and confused and angry”, and were “trying to make sense of the senselessness of this”. “Your grief won’t shrink, but you will slowly find the strength you need to carry it,” he stressed. “You will not get over the loss of Lorcán, but you will learn to live with it. “You will never be the same again, but you would not want to be. “The grief and the pain that consumes you now is the price you pay for your love of Lorcán. “When Peárce passed away, Lorcán was devastated. “He too grieved, but then he chose to live, and, for the next six years, he lived a wonderful life with you boys. “I implore you to honour Lorcán by living your lives to the fullest – it is what he would have wanted.”
Concluding, Mr Carr said: “Goodbyes hurt the most when the story was not finished, but there is comfort in knowing that someone so special will never be forgotten. “Farewell, Lorcán; may your soul find peace in the eternal embrace of love.”
During the funeral service – which was attended by GAA president Jarlath Burns – symbols representing Mr Branagan’s life were placed on the altar, and his sister Caitlín delivered the reflection, in the form of an emotional reworked version of Kodaline’s ‘Brother’. Mr Branagan was laid to rest in the adjoining cemetery after the Funeral Mass.
