The families of the two Irish teenagers who died on the Greek holiday island of Ios have revealed details of their funeral arrangements – while paying poignant tribute to the boys.
Thousands are expected to attend the services which will both be held at the same Dublin church, The Church of the Sacred Heart Donnybrook, but on separate occasions.
The first funeral, on Monday, will be for Max Wall, who collapsed and died after spending a day looking for his friend Andrew O’Donnell.
Max’s family said that with his death ‘the world has lost a little colour.’
In a funeral notice they said: ‘Max, with a larger than life personality, brought great joy to the lives of his family and friends and everyone he came in contact with.
Andrew O’Donnell (left) and his classmate Max Wall (right), both 18 and from the same school, died in separate tragic incidents over the weekend
Thousands are expected to attend the services which will both be held at the same Dublin church, The Church of the Sacred Heart Donnybrook, but on separate occasions
‘During his short time, he faced numerous challenges that he bore with great courage and bravery and always remained his most positive sunny fun filled self.
‘Max, to the unimaginable grief of his parents Niall & Fiona, adored bigger brother Charlie, grandson of Nuala Wall and Fiona’s father Carl Laverty will be deeply missed by his aunts, uncles, cousins, friends especially those in St Michael’s College.’
His funeral mass will be followed by burial at Kilternan Cemetery Park.
The second service for Andrew, who died after a fall, will take place two days later, next Wednesday at the same church, followed by a private family cremation.
Andrew’s family said: Our beloved Andrew departed from this world far too soon. Andrew passed away unexpectedly leaving behind a void that can never be filled.
‘Andrew brought immense joy to the lives of his family, friends, and all who knew him.
‘He possessed a vibrant spirit, a kind heart, and a sense of humour that brightened the darkest of days. He was known for his passion for sports, his footballing talents, his charming demeanour, and his love for his two golden retrievers, Marnie & Maisie.
‘He was unfailingly loyal to his friends and relatives, in Ireland and England, and touched the lives of so many during his short time with us, including those he shared experiences with at St. Matthew’s National School, St. Michael’s College Secondary School, Old Belvedere RFC and Belmont FC.’
Dozens of students lined a road leading to the island’s port as the bodies of Andrew O’Donnell and Max Wall, both 18, were taken on to a ferry
Heads bowed solemnly, many of the youngsters were pupils of St Michael’s College, Dublin, where the two young men also studied
The family said the death of the teenager, who fell from a rocky path and was found dead in a gully, had brought ‘inexpressible grief ‘ to his parents Bebhinn and Gavin, and older brother Rory.
His demise was strongly being mourned by his relatives including aunts, uncles, cousins in both Ireland and England and a wide circle of friends, but ‘especially the Leaving Cert Class of 2023’.
It comes after touching images revealed Irish students forming a guard of honour as the bodies of their two friends left the Greek island of Ios.
Dozens of pupils lined a road leading to the port as the bodies of Andrew and Max were taken on to a ferry for Athens so that post-mortems could establish the exact cause of deaths.
With their heads bowed solemnly, many of the youngsters were pupils of St Michael’s College, Dublin, where the two young men studied.
They were part of a bigger group of students from schools across Ireland. They were on a post-exams holiday to Ios to mark the end of their secondary education.
Some of the pupils placed yellow roses on the hearses of the two pupils as a sign of their friendship while others wept as their bodies were taken from Ios Health Centre to the port, a short distance away, on Tuesday.
Some of the students placed yellow roses on the hearses of the two pupils as a sign of their friendship
Andrew and Max’s parents were also in Ios and they accompanied their coffins to Athens. They will await the results of the post-mortem examination which are not expected for another ten days.
Greek officials revealed that initial findings showed that Andrew died after falling and sustaining an injury to his head. His body was discovered on early Sunday afternoon on a rocky slope close to the port area.
Max is believed to have suffered a heart attack just an hour later after hearing of the news while walking in the port area and collapsed at the entrance to an alley.
Officials said toxicology tests will also be carried out. Andrew is believed to have been on a night out with pals in Hora, which is crammed with bars and clubs selling cheap drinks, before he was separated from them.
He went missing early on Saturday and was discovered on a rocky slope yards from a hospital and a busy main road more than 24 hours after he was first reported missing.
His body was found in scrub land located just below a popular five-star hotel overlooking the port of Ios. It’s one of the busiest sites on the popular Greek holiday island – an area Greek police had already searched but failed to find him.
The desperate search of the island also involved his classmates.
Max died shortly after being given the news due to the shock, it’s understood. He was found at the entrance to an alleyway near the town’s port.
Andrew O’Donnell, 18 was found dead in scrub land (left) located just below a popular five-star hotel and overlooking the port of Ios. Just hours later, his friend Max Wall collapsed and was found at the entrance to a narrow alley in the Ios port area (right)
A bouquet of flowers lay at the top of the slope where Andrew was found on Sunday
When looking for Andrew, officers initially searched the area on Sunday morning after being informed by his friends that he had gone missing after becoming separated from them while they were in Ios port, where there are bars and restaurants.
They subsequently returned to the area later that day, discovering Andrew’s body at around 1pm.
He was rushed to Ios Health Centre, the island’s only hospital which is yards away, where he was pronounced dead.
An Ios port police official told MailOnline: ‘We started our search 24 hours after Andrew had gone missing, which is standard procedure. We focused on the slopes around the port area but did not find anything but then returned for a second time.
‘His body was hidden in bushes and was not visible from a path that runs along the top of the slope. There is a luxury hotel there and houses along it, so it’s a very well used path and first time around, it was easy to miss.’
Another port police official who said that he was part of the team that discovered Andrew’s body said: ‘We initially walked the length of the path at the top of the slope and couldn’t see anything. His body was in the undergrowth.
‘The sad thing is that as the police and Andrew’s pals were looking for him, he wasn’t in a remote location and was close to us all, but we didn’t realise this.’
A simple bouquet of flowers lay at the top of the slope where Andrew was found.
His friend Max collapsed and died at the entrance to a narrow alley in the Ios port area at 2pm on Sunday, just an hour after news emerged of Andrew’s death.
It is believed that he died of shock and according to reports, the youngster had a history of heart problems and had spent all day searching for his friend.
Most of the two boys’ friends are believed to have left Ios, many travelling to Athens on Tuesday with their coffins where an autopsy is to take place to establish their exact cause of death.
But hundreds of Irish youngsters have remained in Ios, which like Andrew and Max, they travelled to to mark the end of their secondary education.
Many expressed anger at news that Andrew was discovered in a busy area of Ios and only a ten-minute walk from Hora, the island’s capital town which is bustling with bars and nightclubs.
Toby Moriarty, from Dublin said: ‘Obviously it’s shocked us all, but we would like to know why the police took so long to find him? It’s terrible that they had already searched the area where he was eventually found.
‘I think the Greek police should have started looking for him quicker because it was quite obvious that something was wrong.’
Sheila Walsh, 18 said: ‘My heart goes out to the family and given where Andrew was found, I don’t think the Greek police have done a very good job. He was right under their noses, and they didn’t even realise it.
‘It’s a bit of a joke if you ask me and I don’t know why they had to wait 24 hours before they started searching for him?’
Flowers are at the site of where Andrew O’Donnell was found on Sunday
The parents of both Andrew and Max arrived in Greece on Tuesday to receive the results of post-mortem tests and bring home their sons’ remains.
Medical examiners conducting the tests found no signs of foul play.
Earlier reports suggested that police were preparing to investigate whether their drinks had been spiked, but police spokesman Konstantina Dimoglidou told MailOnline yesterday that any lines of inquiry would depend on the results of the post-mortem, which suggest no foul play was involved in the boys’ deaths.
Fellow pupils formed a guard of honour as police transported the boys’ bodies from Ios to Athens, ahead of them being flown home to Ireland accompanied by their grieving families.
Andrew’s father Gavin is said to be distraught, a close family friend who asked to remain anonymous told MailOnline.
‘Gavin described Andrew as his ”darling boy” in a message to me.
Andrew was rushed to Ios Health Centre, the island’s only hospital, where he was pronounced dead
The site where Max was found at around 2pm on Sunday, shortly after his friend Andrew was found dead
‘Gavin is a very giving man as is his whole family. He is very proud of this college and as an Alma mater.
‘Andrew’s grandfather Joe is a doctor and they are both very proud of Andrew, who was in the prime of his life. This is such a devastating tragedy.
‘There for the grace of God go I. It is such a shock,’ the family friend said.
‘It is just unexplainable. He and Max were so young. We just do not know why this happened. We are all grieving for both families.’
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk