'I will find you in every bit of sunshine' - mourners hear heartbreaking words of Tadgh Farrell's mum at child's funeral in Edenderry

"The four-year-old died from injuries sustained after a petrol-bomb was thrown through the window of the house where he was being babysat by his grand-aunt, on December 6. Tadgh's mother wrote that her only son had "a laugh that made the heaviest days feel lighter," and taught her what "true joy really looks like," and what "true love really feels like." His small white coffin, with a picture of the smiling boy, was carried to the front of the church to the sound of 'Here I am Lord' before mourners gathered in St Mary's Church, Edenderry."

"Fr Corcoran said that the community had gathered with "heavy hearts" last night for their carol service, at the beginning of which a candle was lit by a member of the community in Edenderry in honour of Tadgh Farrell and his grand-aunt Mary Holt. That same candle was lit during the ceremony today, before the Homily. "There are times in life when words are useless. Today is one of those times," Fr Corcoran said as he opened his homily address to the congregation."

"Fr Corcoran used the analogy of a cherry blossom tree to describe the briefness of Tadgh Farrell's shorty life, and the intensity of it's impact and beauty. He said: "Some lives, like the cherry blossom, shine with a beauty beyond their years. "They bring colour, joy, and wonder, simply by being," adding that even in a short space of time, the cherry blossom "changes the landscape of lives." Fr Corcoran continued that the life of Tadgh resembled the cherry blossom in that: "Its beauty is not measured by its length, but by its intensity by the joy it brings while it is here.""

A four-year-old boy died from injuries after a petrol-bomb was thrown through the window of the house where he was being babysat by his grand-aunt on December 6. His mother described his laugh and the joy and love he brought. The boy's small white coffin, with a picture of him, was carried to the front of St Mary's Church to the sound of 'Here I am Lord.' A candle lit at a prior carol service was lit again in his and his grand-aunt's honour. The priest used a cherry blossom analogy to describe the briefness and intensity of the boy's life. The grandmother, who was injured, was prayed for and a reflective passage from 'Nanny Farrell' about remembering the little things was read.

Read at Irish Independent