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A COMMUNITY in grief came together at St Senan’s Church in Kilkee to remember the late Karl Haugh, the 25-year-old father-of-one, who died in tragic circumstances at the weekend.
“It is a time of great pain, deep anguish, confusion, anger and darkness,” Fr Gerry Kenny said at his funeral mass on Wednesday afternoon, as he recalled the life of this “loveable soul”, whose time was cut so short.
In a letter read to the congregation by a relative, Karl’s mother, Bridget, said, “He was our boy, whom we loved so much. For our son to be taken away the way he was taken is the hardest part of all. Our Karl did not deserve this; what child does? When you took our son away from us that terrible night, you took me and his father’s souls with him.
“Today was the most horrific day of my and your father’s life, to say our farewell to you, our beloved son Karl. To all those who are here today, you all know the type of person Karl was. Our son Karl could be described as a strong-willed person and he was always good to his family, but I’m not saying he was a perfect son. Whose son is? He was my and his father’s son and we loved him dearly.
“Being a parent is all about taking the good with the bad. We love all our sons and daughters the exact same way. Karl, we will always love you. Our house will never be the same without you. You are with Stacey now. Please give her a kiss from us. It is not fair. My kids should be here with me.”
During the service, Fr Kenny reminded people that, in this time of deep pain, it was also a time of learning and healing.
“This is a time of great pain since the violent and tragic death of Karl last Sunday morning. It is a time of learning because it reminds us of the brevity of life. Life is a gift. It’s fragile and it also tells us that life is more than flesh and bones.
“We have a spirit and, at this moment, that spirit is crushed as we mourn Karl. We need time for those spirits to heal and to open our hearts to God’s spirit. It is not a time for reaching out or reacting in anger; neither is it a time for despair, because the God that created us still holds us in the palm of his hand. It is a time to be gentle with one another and to learn how we can heal one another.”
Karl died in University Hospital Limerick, having sustained a stab wound to the back during a violent altercation in Kilkee’s Marian Estate.
One person has been charged in connection with his death and is currently before the courts.
By Carol Byrne
