The funeral of fatal crash victim Michael Toland has heard that his life was one “wonderfully-lived”.
The Clonmany pensioner was tragically killed in a road traffic collision close to his home on Wednesday.
Mr Toland, a father-of-three who was aged in his 80s, died after being struck by a van at Annagh crossroads at around 6.20pm on Wednesday.
He became the fifteenth person to lose their lives on the roads in Donegal so far this year, and the seventh person to die on the roads here within the span of a month.
Gardaí have continued their appeals for information in relation to the crash.
Anyone with camera or dashcam footage of the incident has been asked to come forward.
His heartbroken family and friends gathered for his funeral Mass on Saturday morning at St Mary’s Church in Clonmany.
Parish priest Fr Kevin Doherty told funeral-goers that Michael had “a wonderfully-lived and faithfully-lived life.”
Fr Doherty likened Mr Toland’s death to a sudden storm, with his death leaving the community feeling numbed and helpless.
“One minute we are going about our everyday business and the next minute everything stops,” Fr Doherty said. “One minute the sun is shining and the next it’s a dark night without the slightest warning; we are plunged into this darkness. There is a sense in this community that Michael’s death might be a bit like that.”
Mr Toland is survived by his beloved wife Frances, children Michael, Martin and Gerard, grandchildren and a circle of family and friends.
“He was very loved,” Fr Doherty said, adding that the tributes paid in the locality have helped to paint a word picture.
“His workmanship and craftsmanship and his passion for building and the great pride he would take in his work,” Fr Doherty recalled. “So many can speak about the quality of the work he brought to their homes and the presence that he brought to their homes.”
He was also remembered as a keen player of the piano accordion also had a strong love of nature and was passionate about cars and lorries.
“Michael was a wonderful craftsman and a wonderful builder, but one of the most precious things that he built was the place in his heart for his grandchildren,” Fr Doherty told the large congregation. “He built it with all of his love.”
