Finglas mourns Grace Lynch as priest warns of ‘mad youngsters’ on scramblers
By Claudia Savage, Press Association
The teenage girl killed in a scrambler crash in North Dublin was an “artist” who made people “feel happy just to be around her”, her funeral has heard.
Sixteen-year-old Grace Lynch died after an incident on the Ratoath Road in Finglas on Sunday afternoon.
At her funeral mass at Rivermount Church, Finglas on Friday, Fr Seamus Aherne said there are “mad youngsters full of bravado” driving scramblers on roads that “will kill and be killed”.
Her mother Siobhan said Grace was “loved by so many people” and “only starting her life”.
Hundreds came out to mourn the school girl as lamp posts were also decorated with red ribbons, Grace’s favourite colour.
A number of mourners wore red and some of her friends and family wore red bows in their hair.
Students from her school, St Michael’s secondary, and a number of firemen formed a guard of honour.
During her funeral service her brother Jude laid a bible on her coffin, and the songs Grace and Amazing Grace were heard.
Ms Lynch said the family’s lives will “never be the same again”.
“Grace was loved by so many people, and she loved so many people back,” she said.
“She had a way about her that would make you feel happy just to be around her. She was always laughing at nothing.
“She was only starting her life, and she was so in love with her boyfriend, Harry, who I like to call Dumb and Dumber.
“If you were blessed to have known Grace, you would have known how funny and bubbly and kind she was.”
She added: “We will miss you forever, and we love you forever.
“You’re in the arms of the angels now Grace. Life will never be the same. I love you, baby.”
Fr Aherne described the accident that killed Grace as “horrendous” and said “the lives of all here have been deeply affected”.
“It’s like a volcano erupting,” he said.
“Part of the feelings, pain, hurt, anger, fear, loss, almost hate, blame – true. Many will blame the guardian, the government, for not doing enough, and all of those feelings are valid.
“The lava is pouring out on everyone and everything, in a sense we’re all burned and burning, but I want to focus.
“This beautiful girl is dead. Grace has gone. The family is shattered.”
He added: “Those motorbikes racing around our community are dangerous.
“Accidents are waiting to happen and will happen. Those mad youngsters full of bravado and daredevil behaviour, screaming around and weaving through the traffic will kill and be killed.”
He said Grace “always believed that there was good in everyone”.
“Tell the story of who Grace was, what mattered to her, those ordinary qualities,” he said.
“Think of that single, simple comment, there is good in everyone.
“Young Grace and this beautiful family and loving family have lived these values and are living these values. What else matters?
“They always learn from them and from her. All road users learn these basic Christian attitudes, care of each other, mindfulness.
“Grace had only 6,053 days of living. We have more.
“So artists and poets, each of you, all of us are artists and poets of life and love. Let’s live it and make a difference.”
A self-portrait Grace had drawn was also brought the altar, with Fr Aherne saying “they found afterwards on Sunday that she was an artist, not a con artist yet, but an artist who was doing some doodling with rather mad paintings”.
In the wake of Grace’s death, Taoiseach Micheál Martin pledged to remove scramblers from public roads.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald attended the funeral on Friday.
