Heartbreaking scenes at funeral of Lifford farmer

The remains of Seamus Hegarty arrive at St Patricks church Murlog for the Requiem Mass.

ONE of two farmers killed when a tyre exploded at a yard near Killygordon was laid to rest earlier today.

Seamus Hegarty was buried after the requiem Mass at St Patrick’s church in Murlog while his friend and neighbour Kevin Woods will be buried there tomorrow.

The accident happened at Monellan, Crossroads, Killygordon, on Friday evening where both men were fixing a puncture on a potato harvester wheel when a steel rim blew off and struck the two men.

Both were in their early 50s and were life-long friends and neighbours from the Lifford area.

Hundreds of people joined the cortege as it made its way from his home at Ballindrait.

The 51-year-old was a father of four, three girls and a boy, whose ages range from six to 18.

The Parish Priest told mourners the deaths shocked and greatly saddened many people and there was a sense of disbelief across the community.

Fr Edward Kilpatrick, said the pair were inseparable.

“They were lifelong friends from school days, worked together, played together and yet they were of different personalities.
“Both families are coping quite well but it’s in the days afterwards when things quieten down that’s when the difficulty sets in.
“This is a big farming area so the two men were well known, everybody had a great relationship with them and as a result they just feel lost without them.
“Here at the masses last night and today there was almost an eerie silence in the church.”

An investigation has begun into the circumstances of the two deaths.

Receive quality journalism wherever you are, on any device. Keep up to date from the comfort of your own home with a digital subscription.
Any time | Any place | Anywhere