A priest at the first funeral of two friends who lost their lives while swimming off the coast of Donegal has asked people not to judge the actions which may have led to their tragic deaths.
Emmanuel Familola, 16, and his friend Matt Siband, 18, perished when an innocent swim on a beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon on Lough Swilly last weekend turned into unimaginable tragedy.
Reports have suggested the men went into the water to retrieve a ball but got into difficulty.
Parish priest of Buncrana, Fr Francis Bradley told mourners at Emmanuel’s funeral mass at St Mary’s Church that nobody should judge the actions which have brought so much heartache to so many people.
“None of us can judge the actions which led to such a calamitous tragedy. If hindsight were foresight, we’d all have insight,” he said.
Both young men had been living with their families at international protection centres in the Buncrana area.
A huge search and rescue operation involving the RNLI, Gardai, local volunteers boats and the Rescue 118 helicopter swung into action following the incident.
The late Emmanuel Familola. RIP
Another friend managed to swim to the shore but Emmanuel and Matt were not so fortunate.
Emmanuel was plucked from the sea a while later but unfortunately passed away the following day at Letterkenny University Hospital.
Matt’s body was recovered from the sea between Ned’s Point and Fahan by Greencastle Coastguard a number of hours later that same evening.
A large crowd gathered from early morning at St Mary’s Church in Buncrana for Emmanuel’s funeral mass.
His beautiful white coffin in which the young Nigerian boy was laid to rest sat at the foot of the alter.
Those who filed into the church before the mass consoled eachother with some simply and respectfully touching Emmanuel’s coffin.
Emmanuel’s heartbroken mother Glory and his young brothers Daniel and John sat next to Emmanuel’s coffin surrounded and comforted by other family and friends.
Many other family members watched in online form their native Nigeria.
Emmanuel Familola’s mum Glory weeps as his remains are carried from St Marys Oratory in Buncrana. (North West Newspix)
Before the mass began, family friend Tony Joel said the African Community in Ireland wanted to thank the communities of Buncrana, Donegal and Ireland for their “unity and love” following Emmanuel’s tragic passing and asked God “to bless this community and country.”
He specifically thanks all the emergency services as well as the staff of Letterkenny University Hospital for trying so hard to save the life of Emmanuel.
Fr Bradley, told how Emmanuel was the eldest in his family and the first grandchild and he was ‘precious.’
Reaching out to Emmanuel’s mother Gloria he said “Emmanuel will always be her son, and she will always be his mother.”
He spoke of Emmanuel’s caring nature and “serene magnetism” and how he looked after other vulnerable students.
“Emmanuel distinguished himself by his devotion of heart, by his courtesy, calmness and sense of gratitude for anything and everything he was given.
“He was an excellent student who always gave his best, he had a serene magnetism to him which crossed social, ethnic and cultural boundaries for his warmth and charisma spoke every language, touched every heart,” he said.
Fr Bradley then spoke specifically of the moment which led to the young men’s deaths and asked mourners not to judge their actions which led to such heartache for so many.
He said “All of this has made the tragedy which befell himself and Matt Sibanda from Zimbabwe on Saturday evening last all the more difficult to comprehend, all the more painful for his family, for all of us and especially for his friends who were there and did their best to help.
“They appear to have been doing what young boys would do – playing football and going into the water to retrieve the ball.
“Despite constant warnings, how were they really to know the real power and danger of the water, the destructive currents and forces which lay beneath the otherwise picture-perfect sea on a surreal afternoon; could any of us say we wouldn’t go into the water and risk it a little to make sure the fun would continue.
“None of us can judge the actions which led to such a calamitous tragedy. If hindsight were foresight, we’d all have insight,” he said.
Among those there to support Emmanuel’s family at their time of such grief included members of the emergency services who tried so hard to save the two young men, pupils and teachers from both Scoil Mhuire and Crana College in Buncrana.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris were represented by aide-de-camp Commandant Joe Glennon and his Chaplain, Father Daniel McFaul while Kate Gillen, Principal Officer of IPAS was also present.
Members of the Safe Haven Christian Community with their leaders Ruth and Andrew Garvey-Williams were also resent while Fr Bradley was assisted by Father Cajecan, a priest from Nigeria, living at the Termonbacca Carmelite Monastery in Derry.
Fr Bradley referred to the other name for Lough Swilly, the Lake of Shadows, saying the more you see it, the more you realise how the light reflects differently on different parts of the water, at different times, and the result is a constantly changing landscape and mood on the water.
He paid tribute to the emergency services and to the friends of Emmanuel and Matt for all they went through in the hours after the tragedy struck.
“Although the sun has been bright in the sky these days, the gloomy and foreboding shadow of death has hung over us all on the banks of this lovely lake. Again, the name conveys even the mood of our broken hearts. It is distressingly difficult for all of us to come to terms with this tragedy.
“But could I say that the difficulty must be unbearable for those who did their best to save Emmanuel and Matt – the search crews from the RNLI and the coastguard, the flotilla of yachts who combed the lake, and most especially Ottman and Mohammed their friends who spent themselves in doing their very best for them.”
Gifts remembering Emmanuel’s short life were also brought to the altar.
They included a collage of pictures taken on a recent trip to the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin which Emmanuel enjoyed, a Manchester City football shirt to reflect his love of sport, a bible to reflect his deep faith and a certificate from the Department of Foreign Affairs following his recent trip there.
Fr Bradley also spoke of how the two communities of Nigeria and Buncrana had much in common including the fact that both were built on rivers.
He added “Nigeria and Buncrana have something in common – they both take their names from the river which runs through them: Nigeria from the Niger river, and Buncrana meaning the mouth or the foot of the Crana River. Water therefore lies at the heart of their names, the heart of their origin and destiny.
“However deep and wide the waters of the Niger river are, however powerful and captivating the waters of the Crana river are, there is an altogether gentler yet even more impressive water which gives us all our sense of origin and destiny: the water of Baptism.”
He praised the spirit and kindness of community spirit following the men’s tragic deaths.
More than €40,000 has been raised through a Go Fund Me page organised by the local Insight Inishowen charity which will cover the young men’s funerals and other costs.
A spokesperson for the organisers said “We are overwhelmed with gratitude. These funds will ease ongoing costs and give them one less thing to worry about as they grieve and begin to heal.
“Your support brings comfort and strength to these families when they need it most. Thank you for being part of this community of care.”
Emmanuel’s white coffin glistened in the bright May sunshine as it was carried from the church to the nearby Cockhill Cemetery for burial – exactly a week since he and his friends walked to the nearby shoreline without a care in the world.
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