Brother’s emotional farewell as Louisburgh community gathers in grief as Alan Durkan is laid to rest
‘Sleep tight brother’Brother’s emotional farewell as Louisburgh community gathers in grief as Alan Durkan is laid to rest
Louisburgh
Neill O’Neillneilloneill@mayonews.ieTHE beautiful seaside town of Lousisburgh has seldom known days like last Thursday. The community there hope to never see one like it again. Exactly one year to the day that his exciting Australian adventure began, Alan Durkan was back amongst his loved ones.
However, it was not in the way anyone wanted, nor had they imagined it possible, as his earthly remains were laid to peaceful rest, amid sunbeams, the haunting melody of a whistling wind and tears, in the hillside cemetery at Kilgeever.
There is hardly a more beautiful graveyard location in Ireland, but that was scant consolation to the hundreds that trekked silently to the isolated cemetery to watch as one of their own, their son, brother, cousin and friend, was lowered to his eternal reward.
Beneath the shadow of the hills he roamed as a boy, seeking out adventure, and embracing mischief, and with the waves of his beloved Old Head strand crashing nearby, like a lone and solemn drummer, calling out to one of their own, Alan’s family bade a final farewell to a young man who had touched their lives in an immeasurable way, in his 22 short years on earth.
Alan Durkan will never again play in the surf that caresses the shores of his native place, nor will his cheeky smile greet strangers or friends alike, and while Louisburgh unites in grief to come to terms with the loss of a gentle and carefree soul, it is certain that Alan Durkan will never be forgotten.
Earlier, at his Funeral Mass, with St Patrick’s Church packed beyond all capacity and hundreds more standing silently outside, celebrant Fr Mattie Long spoke of how Alan had carved out a niche for himself in life, and how after 22 years on a journey of discovery, he was now ‘safe in the fullness of eternal life with Christ’.
“No matter where he went Alan found his niche,” Fr Long told those who had gathered, in the words of Alan’s father Andy, ‘to celebrate a life, not lament a passing’.
“Who would have imagined Alan as a farmer or vineyard worker?” asked Fr Long, referring to Alan’s life in Australia. “He was comfortable everywhere he went and used his gifts as God intended, particularly the gift of life, by living his, though short, to the full.
“We know Alan found a niche in life for himself, it usually takes a lifetime to find one, a long one, in this case it was 22 years, which is far too short from a human point of view, and far too brief for a family.”
James Durkan, Alan’s twin brother, and only surviving child of their parents Andy and Janet, told the congregation of his love for his brother, and of his brother’s love for all his family.
“He was the best twin brother ever. We used to fight and clash all the time, but he’d be the first to defend me if anyone said a word to me. Alan was a messer, a great twin brother and son, whose sense of fun knew no bounds,” he said. “Sleep tight brother, and forever rest in peace,” he signed off, emotion beginning to overcome him.
Alan’s cousin Jonathan, who had accompanied him on his final journey home across the world, explained that Alan had taken well to life in Australia.
“He loved the relaxed lifestyle, the beach, the few cold bottles in the evening and admiring the local talent. Growing up, the four of us [Jonathan, his brother Tommy, Alan and James], there were not too many days we didn’t spend together. We were cousins but the bond was that of brothers,” he said. Jonathan recalled their adventures and thanked everyone who had helped to repatriate Alan, particularly his friend from Louisburgh - Rory O’Malley - who is in Australia with Jonathan, and Andy and Janet, for trusting him with the task of bringing their son home.
Tommy Durkan asked everyone to be thankful that Alan had touched their lives through his own, ‘and live he surely did for 22 years,’ he said, also recalling growing up with Alan and James, and special occasions such as their eighteenth birthday.
Alan’s uncle Tom Durkan spoke on behalf of Andy and Janet, who thanked God for the gift of Alan for 22 years and all the joy he and James brought them. They recalled his ‘cheeky smile, his hairdos, his nothing is impossible attitude and his daily phone calls from Australia where he would say, simply: ‘ring me back’.
Thanking everyone for their support since Alan’s death on March 2, they concluded: “Alan was a cool dude, whose entrance lit up every room. We will miss his mischievous smile, his positiveness, his passion for life and his love.”
The previous evening, Alan’s coffin was carried from his home to the church, draped in a Louisburgh GAA flag, by his school friends. Members of the local GAA club formed a guard of honour. Following his Funeral Mass, students from his old school, Sancta Maria College, lined the streets of Louisburgh, as his cousins carried him one final time, through the town he loved so well.
