THE border town of Lifford in Co Donegal came to a standstill today as the community said a final goodbye to tragic hit-and-run victim Laura Connolly.
he 34-year-old mother-of-one was killed in the early hours of last Sunday morning as she returned from a night out with friends.
Just hours earlier, she had been shopping for her wedding dress as she prepared to wed long-term partner Joe McCullagh next year.
Hundreds of people gathered outside Ms Connolly’s home at Croaghan Heights and walked with the funeral cortege to St Patrick’s Church in Murlog.
Several floral tributes, including one which simply said ‘Mammy’, were placed inside the funeral hearse.
A guard of honour, of men wearing white shirts and black ties, accompanied the hearse along the distance of approximately one mile to the church.
A lone piper led the funeral cortege to the doors of St Patrick’s as the community stood outside the church in unity, while also respecting the current Covid guidelines.
Friends of Ms Connolly grieved outside the church she was due to be married in.
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Laura Connolly’s mother Rosemary is comforted by her sister, Jacqueline. Photo: NW Newspix
Laura Connolly’s mother Rosemary is comforted by her sister, Jacqueline. Photo: NW Newspix
Among the mourners was Ms Connolly’s fiance, Joe McCullagh, and the couple’s teenage son, Jamie.
Her mum and dad, Rosemary and Jimmy, as well as brother James, grandmother Theresa Connolly and aunts and uncles also said a final goodbye to the young woman who had brought them so much joy.
Inside the church, Fr Colm O’Doherty recalled the “terrible tragedy” that had happened last Sunday just as the light of dawn was coming into the sky.
“The news brought disbelief, shock, despair, anger, awful grief, terrible sadness and a real sense of bewilderment not just throughout the community at large, but especially to her loving family for whom these past few days must have seemed like an unreal nightmare,” he said.
Fr O’Doherty said the question he has been asked most in recent days is how people are going to cope with the loss of a person who was loved so much.
He said the same was asked by the friends of Jesus when he was put to death on the Hill of Calvary.
“This morning we, as a people of faith, as a family, are broken-hearted but are still able to gather in this place of prayer to put our trust in the hope of new life for Laura, our sister in the faith with the risen Lord himself.”
He added that, at a time like this, there are no spoken words which can properly ease the hearts and minds of those who are grieving.
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The late Laura Connolly is brought to St Patrick’s Church in Lifford, Co Donegal. Photo: NW Newspix
The late Laura Connolly is brought to St Patrick’s Church in Lifford, Co Donegal. Photo: NW Newspix
Instead, the local community had used a language of love, he said.
“Tremendous solidarity and kindness have been shown by so many good neighbours and friends who have brought the grace of the community spirit of this parish to the sad homes of Laura’s family,” said Fr O’Doherty.
“Your presence alone has been so important in so many ways.”
He said there have been many lighter moments in the dark recent days as friends and family told stories of Ms Connolly’s fun-loving and bubbly nature.
“Next year was going to be the year,” he said of Ms Connolly’s wedding day. “The date is in the diary here in the church. Laura and Joe would become Mr and Mrs. The wedding dress was even being looked for that day she was to die.
“These are lovely memories to have, to share and to keep sharing in the future but our lasting hope, our ultimate glimpse of life in these dark days of mourning, has to be our faith in the Risen Jesus.”
He added: “We pray, in particular, that the gifts of joy, of goodness, kindness and especially the gift of love that Laura brought to your lives will help you never to forget such a special person and always be thankful for the gift of life she gave.”
Prayers of intercession were then said for Ms Connolly by friends and family.
One such prayer asked for comfort for her friends who were with her on her final night, and for the emergency services who attended the scene.
Another remembered her smile, her big laugh and sense of fun. They asked: “Who will have us dancing on the tables now?”
Before leading Ms Connolly to her final resting place in the adjoining cemetery, Fr O’Doherty said her favourite song, Butterfly Kisses, would be sung.
The lyrics were deeply poignant, offering a painful reminder of a life cut short.
“Walk me down the aisle, Daddy – it’s about time. Does my wedding gown look pretty, Daddy? Daddy, don’t cry.”
