Reunited in heaven
Relative of Christmas drowning victim who died with best pal tells of bond
A RELATIVE of a man who drowned on Christmas morning along with his best friend prayed that they were “reunited in heaven” yesterday.
Declan Davitt, 26, and 27-year-old Martin Needham died when their 4x4 was submerged in water.
The pair, who were described as inseparable, were in the car when it entered the Carrowniskey River in Co Mayo.
Declan was laid to rest one day after his best friend.
The family member told mourners: Mourners carry coffin in Co Mayo yesterday “We pray that Declan and Martin are reunited in heaven as they were on Earth.”
There were also prayers for Declan’s sister Kathleen, 26, who also died tragically 10 days before Christmas in 2010.
Fr Mattie Long remembered the heartbreak the family had suffered previously. He said: “To say farewell to one so young is never easy.
“We do realise it is especially hard for you [the Davitt family] since it’s seven short years since you lost your beloved Kathleen.
“The burden you carry is done with dignity and grace.” Hundreds of mourners, including friends who had travelled from New Zealand, where the farming contractor lived for four years, gathered at the Church of the Holy Family in Killeen near Louisburgh for the Funeral Mass.
The friends were returning after a night of socialising and had been crossing the river when the vehicle became submerged and was swept away at around 2.30am.
The two men escaped from the car but were unable to save themselves, while a third man raised the alarm.