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The young man killed by his father and brother in a land dispute in north Cork was the largest child any mother could have, a close friend of the deceased told mourners at his funeral mass this afternoon.
Several hundred mourners gathered to sympathize with Anne O’Sullivan (60) for the death of her son, Mark (26) in the suicide by murder that also claimed the lives of her husband, Tadg (59) and their youngest son , Diarmuid (23). at his family farm in Raheen, Kanturk, on Monday.
Only a small number of family and friends joined Ms. O’Sullivan inside the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Kanturk this afternoon, but as many as 300 people gathered outside to hear Canon Toby Bluitt say the funeral mass for the graduate of Law from the University of Limerick.
And they listened to a friend of hers from UL, Sharmilla Rahman, read a tribute reflecting on the wonderful son Mark had been to his mother and a great friend to her since they met in First Year at UL.
“Mark and I were best friends. I would like to express my condolences to Anne and the rest of the family. Mark was the oldest child a mother could have and I know that the bond between them was unbreakable. He had such a big heart and so much love to give as a friend. I know, but I can’t even imagine how much effort and love he put into being Anne’s son, ”he said.
Call from the altar
Canon Toby Bluitt told mourners at the funeral mass that he wanted them to keep Mark’s mother, Anne O’Sullivan and her extended family, in their prayers as they tried to understand his death and the death of his father, Tadg. (59) and his brother, Diarmuid (23), who were buried on Friday.
Gardaí believes Mark O’Sullivan (26) died after being shot by his father and younger brother early Monday in a dispute over who would inherit their 115-acre farm at Raheen in Kanturk and that O’Sullivan snr and Diarmuid later they shot themselves. on the farm in a suicide pact.
On Saturday Canon Bluitt, who also celebrated the funeral Mass for O’Sullivan snr and Diarmuid at St Mary’s Church in Castlemagner, welcomed Mrs. O’Sullivan and a small group of family and friends to the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Kanturk.
“Pain is never an easy burden to bear, and never again when it comes to us in a way that can only be described as untimely, shocking and tragic. Today we meet in such pain, carrying a burden that not only appears to be, but is in fact overwhelming.
Gardaí believes that Mark O’Sullivan (26) died after being shot by his father and younger brother early Monday morning.
“We come together to comfort and support each other in our common loss. We come together to make sense of nonsense. We join Bishop William Crean [of the Diocese of Cloyne] in offering our condolences to Anne, relatives and extended family.
“We ask that you keep them in your prayers as you strive to navigate this path of unexpected loss and anguish,” said Canon Bluitt, who joined the mass concelebration for the priest, Father John Magner, who gave the last rites to the three men and ministered to Mrs. O’Sullivan after the shooting.
Canon Bluitt, pastor of Kanturk, Lismire and Castlemagner, said he would reiterate the words of his homily at the funeral mass for Tadg and Diarmuid O’Sullivan because “the reality of this heartbreaking loss has not changed.”
“The shock, the numbness, the devastation, was impossible to imagine and the news of the loss of three lives was incomprehensible. . . Like all of you, I’m also struggling to make sense of this. “
He told the mourners that the three men were created in the image of God and that all three were loved equally by God, who knows that human beings are not perfect and can see through the wrong actions that people sometimes they can do.
Canon Bluitt then spoke about Mark, reminding mourners that, like his younger brother, Diarmuid, he too had attended elementary school in Ballyhass and secondary school in Kanturk and socialized in Castlemagner.
“He studied law at the University of Limerick (UL) and graduated in 2017. He was a practicing lawyer preparing to complete his final exams. UL paid tribute to him this week and underscored the shock felt within the UL community, where Mark was greatly appreciated, ”she said.
Gathered in sadness
Canon Bluitt said that as people rallied in pain and sadness and struggled to cope with the enormity of the tragedy suffered by the O’Sullivan family, no one sought to minimize the loss of their three lives by trying to provide “easy answers because there are no answers”.
Canon Bluitt said that Anne O’Sullivan and the Castlemagner community were not without hope and reminded mourners that God’s first attribute was mercy and that “God’s name is mercy.”
After the funeral mass, Mrs. O’Sullivan, who is seriously ill, was helped out of the church while following Mark’s coffin before he was placed in a hearse to begin his final journey to St. Patrick’s Cemetery. at Castlemagner to be buried alongside her parents. Timothy and Mary Cronin.
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