The hundreds of mourners, some of them wearing white T-shirts featuring photographs of McCarthy (16), had gathered \u201cwith heavy hearts and a deep sense of sadness,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
The occasion of such a young person\u2019s funeral was a time for \u201ccompassion\u201d, the priest said.<\/p>\n
McCarthy\u2019s was the third of the five young people\u2019s funerals to take place. Those of Joe Carthy (15), from Athy, Co Kildare<\/a>, and Kamil Pustkowski (17), from Limerick<\/a>, took place earlier on Friday. The others killed in the incident were McCarthy\u2019s cousin Jeremy O\u2019Brien (18), also from Carlow<\/a>; and Jack Kennedy (17) from Athy.<\/p>\n The five teenagers were travelling in the wrong-way down the M9 near Moone, Co Kildare, when their BMW was in a head-on collision with a Hyundai in the early hours of Sunday. <\/p>\n The four people travelling in the Hyundai, three sisters and a seven-year-old boy, were en route to Dublin Airport when the crash happened shortly after 3am. Alma and Niamh Kinsella were in the front of the Hyundai and remain in a serious condition at Tallaght University Hospital. Their younger sister, Ella Hendricken, who was a rear-seat passenger, and her seven-year-old nephew, both remain in serious condition in Dublin hospitals. <\/p>\n The entrance to large church on the outskirts of Carlow town was decorated with sprays of blue and white carnations on Friday. <\/p>\n An aisle was created up the church entrance by stands holding 14 large heart-shaped photographs of McCarthy with various loved ones and with his lurchers, each framed with blue and white flowers. McCarthy\u2019s remains were conveyed to the church in a white carriage, drawn by two white horses. <\/p>\n Songs, including Only the Good Die Young and Simply the Best, were played as family members carried the pale blue casket on their shoulders into the church. <\/p>\n There was a visible but low-key Garda presence outside the church, before, during and after the service.<\/p>\n![\"Alex](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IAQ7HAHZ6Y2MKQEERTIXBQM7ZM.jpg\")
Alex McCarthy’s funeral cortege arrives at Holy Family Church, Askea, Co Carlow, on Friday. Photograph: Brian Lawless\/PA Wire <\/p>\n