Teen killed in tragic cliff fall is laid to rest

From this week’s Galway City Tribune – There has been an outpouring of sympathy across the city and county to the family of the Salthill teenager who was laid to rest this week after losing his life in a tragic accident in Kerry.

James Harrison (17), from Devon Park, died after a fall from a cliff on Sunday afternoon while out walking with this family near Dingle.

He was laid to rest in Rahoon Cemetery on Wednesday, following a funeral mass in St Ignatius Church (the ‘Jes’), where his father Matthew said: “We will love, cherish, hug him forever.”

A student at the Jes, James was also a prominent member of the Salthill/Knocknacarra GAA club and also played with Knocknacarra FC and rugby with the Jes.

Heartbroken friends and teammates lined Dr Mannix Road outside Árus Bothar na Trá and the Prairie, the home of Salthill-Knocknacarra to say a final farewell as the funeral procession drove past.

“He had boundless energy. There was a nuclear fusion in him. Sometimes, even when came into a room, the core that radiated from him was exhausting. We sympathise with his dear friends who were dragged up mountains at 3.30 in the morning to see a sunrise. There was always another corner to turn for James; a walk never ended. There was always another place to see or to go to. There were few limits to James’ energy and enthusiasm,” Matthew, who is a teacher in the Jes, said.

The son of Matthew and Máire, James was the eldest of three children and was regarded as one of the most promising young footballers with the Salthill/Knocknacarra club.

Alan Mulholland, Chairman of the club, this week told the Galway City Tribune that James had always ‘been the heart and soul’ of the teams that he played with over the years.

(Photo: The funeral procession on Dr Mannix Road in Salthill as it passes Árus Bóthar na Trá)
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