Funeral for pool tragedy boys
A joint funeral service will be held today for two young boys who drowned in a private swimming pool near their homes.
The Requiem Mass will be conducted in the Sacred Heart Chapel in Cloghoghue, Newry, Co Down, by parish priest, Father Richard Naughton.
Church-goers throughout Ireland prayed yesterday for the families of four-year-old Shea Laverty and two-year-old David Smith, who drowned on Friday evening after crawling through a fence into the grounds of a large house close to their Ardaveen Mews homes.
Father Naughton said the deaths of the two children had struck a chord throughout Ireland and Britain.
“The death of a child is the fear that every parent has. Everyone is aware it can happen and they can identify with these parents,” he said.
David Smith will be buried in the adjoining cemetery, while Shea Laverty will be buried in the family plot in Coalisland, Co Tyrone.
Family and friends have been doing all they can to provide their support to the distraught parents of the two boys who lived just three doors apart.
Father Naughton said he hoped both families would be able to gain strength and support from each other.
“They have been joined together in grief by this shared tragedy. That sense of them suffering together will be symbolised tomorrow,” he added.
The father of one of the two boys had attempted mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in a frantic bid to save their lives.
Brian Smith, who found the bodies of his son and young friend lying in the disused pool had jumped in and dragged them out.
A paramedic gave him instructions over the phone on how to perform cardio-pulmonary resuscitation as an ambulance rushed to the scene.
Staff at Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry worked for two hours trying to revive the two boys but were unable to save them.
Shea was due to celebrate his fifth birthday next week. His younger brother was with them at the time of the tragedy but escaped unhurt and is being comforted by family members.
Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances of their deaths and liaison officers have been appointed to both families to help them deal with the tragedy.
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