Heartbroken family say goodbye to brother & sister killed in Co Tyrone
Heartbroken family say goodbye to brother and sister killed in horror crash alongside their aunt after their minibus smashed into a lorry
- Dan and Christine McKane, and aunt Julia McSorley were killed in Aughnacloy
- Funeral for the siblings was held today as devastated mourners sung Danny Boy
A heartbroken local community was left ‘stunned, numb and speechless’ after a tragic car crash claimed the lives of three members of the same family – as they sung a ballad at the siblings’ funeral today.
Dan and Christine McKane, and their aunt Julia McSorley, 75, were killed in the crash on April 27 on the A5 near Aughnacloy, Northern Ireland when their minibus was involved in a smash with a lorry. They had been returning from the funeral of a family member in Corby, Northamptonshire.
Four other family members were admitted to hospital, with two people having since been discharged.
A funeral was held for Mrs McSorley at St Eugene’s Church in Glenock on Sunday. Then, today, as the siblings’ coffin was brought into The Church of The Immaculate Conception in Strabane, the song Danny Boy was sung by mourners.
The coffins of Dan and Christine McKane, two of the three victims of the Aughnacloy crash, are carried from the Church of The Immaculate Conception in Strabane, following their funeral today
The coffins of Dan and Christine McKane. Reverend Declan Bolan acknowledged the messages of sympathy from ministers at nearby churches
From left to right – Julia McSorley, Dan McKane and Christine McKane
One of Mr McKane’s daughters and Mrs McKane’s son later read poems they had written for them.
A representative of the Irish president Michael D Higgins and Sinn Fein Stormont leader Michelle O’Neill were among the mourners, as Reverend Declan Bolan thanked them for attending.
He also acknowledged the messages of sympathy from ministers at nearby churches, and thanked the ‘incredible’ crowds who turned out for the funeral to support the McKane family through the ‘awful pain and unspeakable horror’ that ‘came so unexpectedly’.
READ MORE: Hundreds pay their respects at vigil held for three people killed in Co Tyrone crash involving minivan and lorry as victims are named
He told mourners: ‘Our hearts are sad and broken, our pain is deep, our sadness knows no bounds,’ he told mourners.
‘You’ve turned up today in incredible numbers because you care and because you want to help this family through their most awful pain and unspeakable horror that has come upon them so, so unexpectedly.
‘Dan and Christine and Julia should be like ourselves, walking about, doing their normal things on a Monday afternoon, and yet we know that life changed utterly in a flash coming round that bend in Aughnacloy.’
Father Bolan continued to say : ‘We’re stunned, we’re numb and speechless at what happened. Our grief is total, our wound is open.’
Mr McKane, 53, a father of two daughters, was described as big-hearted and a hard-working man, as Father Bolan added: ‘He would have gone that extra mile for anyone and on anything for them, nothing was a bother to Dan McKane. He was the go-for person when something was needed, Dan was your man in times of need.’
Mrs McKane, 49, a mother of three and grandmother of two, was described as ‘slight in stature but big in heart’.
‘She had a great laugh, she was no pushover, one look said everything. She was a pocket rocket,’ the Father said, as he added: ‘Her home, her wonderful children and latterly her beautiful grandchildren were everything to Christine, she just lived for them.’
A mourner holds up the order of service following the funeral service for Dan and Christine McKane
Mourners follow the coffins of the siblings. This comes after hundreds of people attended a vigil for the family on Friday
The victims were from the Strabane and Newtownstewart areas and had been travelling home after attending a funeral in England
Dan McKane, Christine McKane and their aunt Julia McSorely, all died when their minivan (pictured) collided with a lorry near Aughnacloy, County Down, last month
Following the incident, there have been calls for urgent improvements to the road following several serious crashes
The horror collision happened on the A5 Tullyvar road just outside Aughnacloy – which forms part of the main route between Londonderry and Dublin – on the morning of Thursday 27 April.
Following the incident, there have been calls for urgent improvements to the road following several serious crashes.
Plans to upgrade the road between Aughnacloy and New Buildings were announced in 2007. But they have been delayed amid funding issues and legal challenges.
On Friday, hundreds of people attended a vigil for the family.
Mourners filled the Holy Grotto, Strabane, while more lined nearby streets as a moment of silence was observed and a candle was lit for each victim.
Father Bolan described the gathering of 2,000 people as ‘shafts of light’ in the ‘appalling tragedy’.
He said: ‘I have seen the golden, loving faithful heart of our people who gathered at the grotto on Friday to show solidarity to this family in their time of need.
‘Those 2,000 people who gathered at our grotto bore witness to what is at the very best of the heart of this community and this town, and their presence spoke volumes. It was one of the finest community acts of love and compassion that I have witnessed in nearly 50 years of diocesan priesthood.’
Father Bolan went on to thank the first responders who attended the scene of the crash last week, as well as the local priest.
He also paid tribute to a woman who lives near the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast for offering to accommodate and support the family of those who remain in hospital, adding: ‘That is a beautiful gesture of love and solidarity and hope.’
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