I watched these young men in front of me, filled with the joy of completion of the school experience, filled with the anticipation for life, as adults filled with a great sense of their own solidarity and support for each other. “It was such a privilege to preside at that moment.
The atmosphere was sober, filled only with the soft sounds of mourners clasping each other in supporting embraces, or whispered words of consolation.įramed photographs of Mr O’Donnell and Mr Wall stood on the altar, below them a larger photograph of the St Michael’s class of 2023.įr Paddy Moran, chaplain at St Michael’s College, spoke of his joy in celebrating the class of 2023′s graduation Mass some weeks ago. Mourners filed into the chapel, located within the school building, before the start of the service at 12pm. Pupils formed a silent vigil and laid yellow roses as the bodies of Mr O’Donnell and Mr Wall were transported away from the island by ferry on Tuesday morning, Mr Kelleher told those gathered at the chapel. “Our hearts and souls go out to you all.” Silent vigil I can imagine if you got a call, like the call that was made to those two families last Sunday, how gut-wrenching it was,” Mr Kelleher said. It’s a mark of those men and mark of all the boys that were there searching – some of whom who are here today – who went out searching for Andrew.
“Sixty boys from St Michael’s wanted to stay, wanted to be there, wanted to stand in solidarity. The body of Mr O’Donnell (18) was found on rocks following an apparent fall, while, separately, Mr Wall (18) was discovered near to the island’s port, where it is believed he collapsed.Īddressing the service, Tim Kelleher, principal of the Ailesbury Road school, reserved special praise for students who stayed behind to search for their classmate. In the same chapel that Andrew O’Donnell and Max Wall’s Leaving Cert class celebrated their graduation Mass weeks earlier, mourners gathered on Tuesday afternoon to offer a prayer service for the two former St Michael’s College students who died within 24 hours of each other on the Greek island of Ios over the weekend.Īmong those at the service were past pupils who had helped search for Mr O’Donnell after he went missing following a night out during a post-Leaving Cert holiday on Ios.
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