A COUPLE and their young grandson who died in a collision in Co. Tipperary on Tuesday have been laid to rest.
The funeral of Tom Reilly, 45, Bridget Reilly, 46, and their three-year-old grandson Tom took place this afternoon at St John the Baptist Church in Cashel.
The three family members were back seat passengers when the car they were travelling in struck a wall.
The toddler's parents, who were in the front of the car, were hospitalised following the collision.
It is believed Tom's father was unable to leave hospital for the funeral but the boy's mother Diane was in attendance, wearing a T-shirt bearing her son's picture.
'There is an individual'
In a week that has seen seven people laid to rest in Tipperary following two separate road traffic collisions, Fr Enda Brady say it was important to remember the individuals behind the statistics.
"When we hear these [figures], our reaction can be a moment where we say, 'God bless them' and then move on with our lives," said the parish priest for Cashel and Rosegreen.
"But when this awful situation lands on your doorstep then you know these are not just numbers.
The three family members died in a collision on Cashel on Tuesday (Images: An Garda Síochána)"There is a face, there is a heart, there is a personality, there is an individual.
"Unfortunately, Tom and Bridget Reilly and their grandson Tom have joined the number for this year.
"But we don't gather here today to remember them as a number.
"Tom and Bridget's children remember the parents who loved and cared for them and their nephew who, in three short years, endeared himself to the family.
The Rock of Cashel overlooks the town as the coffin of three-year-old Tom is brought to the Cormac’s Cemetery in a horse and carriage (Image: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.ie)"Their parents, brothers and sisters, cousins and extended family remember the people that were Tom and Bridget Reilly.
"They remember young Tom, the character that will be remembered throughout Ireland with his thumb raised in the air."
The three family members were later laid to rest at nearby Cormac's Cemetery.
Figures
President Michael D. Higgins was among the mourners at today's service, having previously attended the funeral of Nicole Murphy on Thursday and that of siblings Luke and Grace McSweeney on Friday.
The president also attended the removal of Zoey Coffey, whose funeral took place on Saturday.
The four young people died in a collision in Clonmel on August 25.
The mother of three-year-old Tom is supported as she walks behind the carriage carrying his coffin (Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.ie)Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was represented at today's funeral by aide de camp, Commandant Claire Mortimer.
Gardaí revealed on Wednesday that 26 people had died on Ireland's roads in the previous 30 days.
They added that there have been 114 fatal road traffic collisions in Ireland so far this year, resulting in the deaths of 124 people.
