Monkstown bus tragedy: Family speak of deep love for 'loyal, fun, mischievous' bus driver Mark Wills
The cortege arrives for the funeral of Mark Wills at the Church of Mary and St John in Ballincollig, Co Cork. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire
THE family of the bus driver who died in a road crash in Monkstown have paid their respects to the priest who died in the same incident.
Mark Wills was laid to rest this afternoon after a funeral Mass in Ballincollig this morning.
Gardai believed the 51-year-old suffered a medical trauma which caused him to lose control of the single-decker bus while driving through Monkstown on Tuesday.
Well-known local priest Fr Con Cronin also died in the crash.
Addressing the congregation this morning, Mark’s brother Brian said members of the Wills family went to Passage West yesterday to pay their respects to Fr Cronin, who will be laid to rest in his native Bantry later this afternoon.
In his eulogy to Mark, Brian said:
"We are so truly sorry for their loss.”
He said he believed that Mark and Fr Cronin were two people who would have gotten on very well if they had met.
Mark’s son Cillian said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with Fr Cronin’s family. They are having as tough a time as we are at the moment.”
Of his own father, Cillian said he had met him last Monday and they had planned to meet again on Wednesday for golf.
He said people cannot take anything for granted, adding: “I am glad I saw him on Monday.”
He said he hoped his father was proud of his children because he and Mark’s daughter Rebecca were so proud of him.
And he told the congregation:
Brian praised colleagues of Mark who tended to him at the scene of the crash on Tuesday and said the family would forever be in their debt.
And he thanked everyone who had turned out on the street in Ballincollig this morning to pay respects to Mark as his body was taken to the church.
He described his brother as “loyal, fun, mischievous”, and said he always had a glint in his eye.
He recalled family trips to beaches including Ardmore, Ballybunion and Myrtleville as children, and said Mark and his twin brother Stephen went to Corfu on their first holiday.
He said Mark has left his family with treasured memories.
THE Bishop of Cork and Ross Fintan Gavin was among the mourners at this morning’s funeral Mass for bus driver Mark Wills, who died in a road crash in Monkstown this week.
The funeral Mass of the 51-year-old took place this morning at 11am in Ballincollig. He suffered a medical trauma which led to him losing control of the single-decker bus while driving through Monkstown on Tuesday.
Well-known local priest Fr Con Cronin also died in the crash.
This morning, members of Mr Wills family gathered for his funeral, which was livestreamed.
Also attending was the parish priest of the Harbour Parishes, Fr Sean O’Sullivan.
In his homily, Fr Cian O’Sullivan, told the congregation that Tuesday was another normal day until that evening.
Addressing his family, Fr O’Sullivan said: “By Tuesday evening, your world had completely changed.
He said he had no answers for the family on why “this has happened.”
To his children Cillian and Rebecca, Fr O’Sullivan said: “Nobody really knows what it is like to go through at the moment what ye are going through.”
He told his parents Steve and Madelene that the hardest thing “is to lose a child”.
He continued: “Mark’s life and particularly his role as a bus driver working for Bus Éireann is one those roles in our community is so, so vital.”
He commended Mark and other bus drivers for their work, including during the pandemic, and he added: “The work of a bus driver is not just getting from A to B.”
He said a bus driver welcomes people on to their bus “to take them on the next point of their journey.”
He recited the lyrics of the song Hymn of Promise by Natalie Sleeth.
Gifts included a Manchester United jersey and items relating to his time as a member of Highfield Rugby Club.
Fr O’Sullivan prayed for Fr Con Cronin during the Mass, as well as for his family.
The funeral of Fr Cronin takes place this afternoon in St Joseph’s Church in Coomhola, at 2pm. This morning, his body lay in repose in the church from 10am. He will be laid to rest in Kilmacomogue cemetery, outside Bantry.
