ON Tuesday morning in Ramelton around 1,200 people walked slowly to St Mary's Chapel on the hill behind the cortege of the father and son killed in a two car collision at Burt on Saturday morning.
John Gallagher (59) and his son Sean's (24) coffins were followed to the church from their Castle Street home by John's distraught widow Hillary who linked arms with her daughters, Aisling (22), Aoife (18) and Eilish (14), and Sean's girlfriend, Lauren Proctor.
The two men died in an horrific two-car crash near Burt chapel.
They were on their way home after leaving Sean's girlfriend at City of Derry Airport.
As the silent cortege reached the already packed chapel, many remained outside to hear the words of Parish Priest Fr Michael Carney who spoke of the 'heartbroken desolation' of the entire community.
"We gather as a broken people with very heavy hearts. We are stunned, we are numbed, we are bewildered by what has happened. Silence speaks of profound grief and tears express the words that fail us," Fr Carney said.
A native of Arranmore Island John Gallagher was known as 'Arranmore John' in his adopted town where he had lived his life for his family with 'love, care, generosity and warm-heartedness', Fr Carney added.
The parish Priest spoke of how the father had handed on his good traits and characteristics to his son.
"John, born to the sound, taste and smell of the sea, gave Sean the love of his island birthplace, its people and their heritage.
Stories abound about a quiet, unassuming, gentle man, doing a good turn for people, calling into this house and that, seeing that people were all right.
This was the hallmark of a life lived for people, for his neighbourhood and for his community," said Fr Carney.
He added that the groups with which both men were associated read like a calendar of events in the life of Ramelton.
Guards of honour were formed by the local Scoil Mhuire primary school, where Sean had taught PE, the Loreto Community College in Milford and the Arranmore United football team.
Mourners wept as the Luther Vandross song, 'Dance with My Father Again', was played.
The father and son were laid to rest in the adjoining graveyard.
