Funerals have taken place in Dundalk for Mark and Louise O’Connor, and their son Evan, three members of the same family who were killed in their home in Drumgowna, outside Tallanstown village on Monday of last week.
St Patrick’s Church in Dundalk,was filled to overflowing for the funeral mass at 11am this morning, while other mourners gathered outside. Dundalk town came to a standstill as the three coffins arrived in hearses at the church, while members of the North East Runners athletics club who had followed the hearses in silence formed a guard of honour.
Celebrant Fr Gerry Campbell told mourners that they were a “family so deeply loved and so highly regarded — not just in their local community, but far beyond it” – and that “above all” Louise O’Connor “loved Mark and Evan with every part of her being”.
“We cannot bring them back, but we can honour them by ensuring that no other family has to walk this road alone,” he said, appealing for better mental health services.
Cian O’Connor, son of Mark and Louise and brother of Evan, in a deeply moving eulogy, said that “no words can truly reflect” how “we all feel”.
“No words can truly reflect how we all feel, how I feel. I am hurting; we all are. It’s something that may take an age to come to terms with and part of each of us may never heal,” he said.
He remembered Evan as a joyful presence whose smile lit up every room and praised his mother Louise for her warmth, charity work, and excitement for Cian’s upcoming wedding. He also spoke of the enduring love, patience, and kindness of the three and the rich, meaningful lives they led. He spoke of his father’s dedication to his family and community, including his support for Evan and finding camaraderie with North East Runners Dundalk, Louth Live reported.
Amongst the symbols representing the lives of Mark, Louise and Evan that were taken to the altar by their loved ones were Mark’s runners, medal and Boston running book, by his sister Anita as he was a “committed and determined runner”.
A record by Queen was presented by his goddaughter and niece, Kerry ,as Bohemian Rhapsody was Mark’s favourite song, while his niece Úna included a cookbook.
Louise’s sister Majella brought a record of the musical group A-ha and sheet music from the choir; her niece Aoibhinn brought a cat collar, and her sister Antoinette brought a photo of a nurse.
Evan’s cousin Niamh brought a holiday photo book, and his cousin Caoimhe odd socks tied in a knot to represent one of Evan’s “individualistic traits”, while his cousin Tara brought a swimming cap, and his cousin Emma brought a Thomas the Tank Engine model train. Mourners had been asked to wear odd socks in honour of Evan.
This time last week, news of an awful tragedy began to filter through the townlands of Drumgoona, Tallanstown, and the Stonetown area of Louth Parish — and quickly from county to county — of a terrible family tragedy: the deaths of Mark, Louise, and Evan O’Connor.
A family so deeply loved and so highly regarded — not just in their local community, but far beyond it.
In his homily, Fr Gerry Campbell said: “So much has already been said about them — so many wonderful words of admiration, affection, and sorrow. All I can do today is try, in some small way, to focus on each one of them through the Word of God — Mark, Louise, and Evan — and then to hold them together, as they always were in life, united in love. Because what shines through every memory, every message, and every tear is the deep love that Mark and Louise had for each other, and the boundless love they both had for Evan — their son, their joy, their pride, and their world.”
He said that Mark “knew what it meant to labour, not just in his work but in his calling to justice and compassion.” The priest spoke of his advocacy for people with disabilities through Inclusion Ireland, and co-founding ABACAS School. “Mark gave himself completely for the good of others,” Fr Campbell said, describing him as a “man of quiet integrity, deep conviction, and of steady purpose.”
Fr Campbell added: “And as Saint Paul might say, “He ran the race to the finish and kept the faith.” Running was more than a pastime for him — it was a way of life: he was highly disciplined, very determined, and ran with purpose. He read books on running, won medals for running, in a relatively short time he knew so much about running … what to eat, what to drink, the best footwear and He encouraged others to keep going, to stay the course, to finish well. And now, having finished his own race, we trust that he rests in the peace of the Lord who welcomes him home.”
His wife Louise was remembered in the homily as “full of life — talkative, warm, musical, and compassionate.”
“Her love of singing, her laughter, her care as a nurse, her devotion to her family — all were expressions of a heart alive with love. Louise showed us the face of Christ the Healer. She cared for others with gentleness and humour, bringing comfort and joy to the people she met, whether in hospitals, or at the VHI call centre, or among friends in her beloved Local Vocals Choir,” he said.
The packed Church heard that above all, Louise loved Mark and Evan with “every part of her being,” describing how she had first met her husband in secondary school.
“She being a Saint Louis Girl, and he a De la Salle boy, two years her junior — they were partners in life and in service — a couple whose love overflowed into action, especially in their care for Evan and in their advocacy for other families living with autism. Now, we trust that she has heard those tender words of Jesus: “Well done, good and faithful servant, come and share your Master’s joy.” May her laughter, her song, and her kindness echo forever in God’s presence,” he said.
Their son Evan was remembered for his love of holidays, of swimming, of his colourful odd socks and bright tee-shirts.
“His love of Thomas the Tank Engine — His joy in going to the Hub Praxis in Drogheda, his love of theme parks, aqua aerobics, going with his Dad to the Park Runs …in all of this we see a young man who brought light and joy to those around him,” the priest continued. “Jesus said, “Unless you become like little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.” Evan, in his simplicity, his cheerfulness, and his innocence, reminds us of that truth.
“His joy was pure. His smile could light up a room. His love was unfiltered and wholehearted. We believe that the Lord who formed Evan in love has now received him back into that love — complete, radiant, and free. May Evan, who loved the water and the wonder of life, now share in the living waters of eternal peace, safely guided by the loving hand of God along the track that leads to his heavenly home.”
The Mass heard that over the past days, the outpouring of love for the O’Connor and Doherty families had been extraordinary, and included nearly 33 pages of condolences on rip.ie.
“That is unprecedented: all from people who worked with Mark and Louise, from runners, from the Abacas school and the Hub Praxis in Drogheda and from people who, while they may have never met them at all, felt so moved by their story that they reached out,” Fr Campbell said.
Offering prayers of the Faithful, Alannah, Louise’s niece gave thanks for their lives, and the unique gifts with which they were each endowed, “for Mark’s exceptional support and unfailing commitment and advocacy for those in need, for his modest ways and unassuming personality that achieved so much in his time among us; for Louise, who was also devoted to serving the needs and welfare of others through her nursing career, and whose joy and laughter endeared her to so many people; and for Evan, whose zest for life and colour brought out the best in so many of us.”