Seán, Marcella and Mary-Ann laid to rest together

FINAL JOURNEY  The funeral hearses of Mary Ann Wilson, her daughter Marcella Wilson and her son SeΡn Wilson-McGlynn making their way to Cross Cemetery Binghamstown, Belmullet on Friday afternoon.  Pic: Conor McKeown

Teen pays emotional tribute to her mum, granny and brother

Anton McNulty

The close-knit community of Cross on the Mullet peninsula has been engulfed by sadness since learning of the cruel crash that took the lives of three family members – a young boy, his mother and his grandmother. Last Friday, the community accompanied SeΡn Wilson-McGlynn (7), his mother Marcella Wilson and her mother Mary-Ann Wilson (67) on their final journey. Hundreds of mourners packed into St Joseph’s Church in Binghamstown for their funeral Mass.
The three Wilsons died on September 11 last when the car they were driving was struck by a lorry at the junction of the old Ballindine Road and the N17 in Claremorris.
The family had been travelling to Galway for a hospital appointment for Mary-Ann when the accident occurred. It is understood that Marcella Wilson had received treatment for a brain tumour and had been ‘doing great’ before the collision. She was also the mother of three young children, Amy (16), Kelly (14) and Anthony (9).
The coffins of Mary-Ann, Marcella and SeΡn were placed in front of the altar, with SeΡn’s white coffin in the centre. Photographs of each in happier times were placed on each of the coffins.
Mourners sobbed and cried during the emotional service. Chief mourners among the congregation were Mary-Ann’s husband, Josie; Marcella’s three young children and her four siblings; SeΡn’s father, Anthony McGlynn, and members of the extended Wilson and McGlynn family.

Touching eulogy
Holding back the tears and showing bravery and maturity beyond her years, 16-year-old Amy Wilson paid tribute to her brother, grandmother and mother in a eulogy that touched the hearts of all who listened.
The Transition Year student, who collected her Junior Cert results on Wednesday from St Brendan’s College in Belmullet, told the congregation about how her mother was always there for her, and how she had been her rock.
“As you know, I lost my granny, my little brother and my mum,” she began.
“Mum, my best friend, my rock, she was one of the strongest parents and most loving people on this planet. I’m not going to lie, the last few years of Mum’s life were tough with illness, and she’s been through a lot. She tried to hide it, but I always knew.
“I passed my exams like you said I would Mum. Words can’t describe how much you mean to Kelly, Anthony and me. You’re our hero Mum, and we will miss you so much,” she said.
She described how her nanny had an amazing personality, how she always lit up any room she entered and made it warmer by her presence.
“Nanny had the most unusual sense of humour. She made things that weren’t meant to be funny funny. Nanny would get into a random fit of giggles and when started there was no stopping her. Nanny will forever be missed. I love you deeply and I hope you find your peace.
Amy then turned her thoughts to her little brother, SeΡn.
“SeΡnie, I don’t know where to start. Not a person who met him would not say that he was the most friendliest child they ever met. SeΡnie had a bubbly personality, and to think he will not run into my bedroom in the morning and sing the first song that comes into his head … SeΡnie was the baby of the house and forever will be. I just want SeΡnie to know that I love him and he will be in our hearts and minds.”

Calvary
The Funeral Mass was celebrated by Parish Priest, Fr Kevin Hegarty who expressed his condolences to the families of the bereaved, saying that no words, ‘not even in a multi-volumed Oxford Dictionary’, could describe the anguish they have suffered.
“Since last Monday, Calvary has pitched camp in our community. The Way of the Cross has made its way to the village of Cross, where the Wilson family live,” he said.
“It seemed last Monday was going to be an ordinary September day. Autumn was in the air. In this football obsessed county we were looking forward to the All-Ireland Final. The search for the holy grail of Sam Maguire was put into perspective.”
Fr Hegarty said that Mary-Ann, Marcella and SeΡn enriched the lives of those who knew them and the community would support their families.
He described Mary-Ann and Marcella as ‘inseparable’, saying that one of the simple joys in their lives was going to An Builín Blasta in Belmullet for coffee and cream buns.
“Mary-Ann, wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Motherhood was at the core of her being. She knew the language of love and she expressed it eloquently in the way she lived,” he said.
Remembering Marcella as a young student, he said she was full of life and laughter. Noting her personal difficulties in life, he said she confronted them with ‘courage, grace and dignity’.
He described SeΡn as a boy who was full of life, energy and ‘divilment’.
Among the gifts brought to the altar for the offertory were Amy’s Junior Cert results, and the congregation were told Marcella would have been proud of her daughter. A message from SeΡn’s classmates in national school was also among the gifts. as was a picture of Mary-Ann and her family.
Prayers were also said for the lorry driver who was also involved in the collision.
Speaking on behalf of SeΡn’s father Anthony McGlynn, Michael Gallagher expressed gratitude to the thousands who attended the removal and funerals as well to the emergency services who assisted at the scene of the tragic accident.
“In times of utter darkness there is always light, and over the past few days, the light of the human spirit has been very evident in the throngs of our own people who came and supported both families,” he said.
Following the funeral Mass, a guard of honour was formed by students of St Brendan’s College. The funeral cortege stopped briefly at the Wilson family home before continuing on its final journey to Cross Cemetery for burial.