Small Town Life, & Death

This weekend was darkened by two deaths in Westport. Friday evening a carload of young teenaged boys were in a terrible accident, slamming into a wall out on the Castlebar Rd going out of the town. Two of the boys escaped with minor cuts and contusions, but their 19 year old friend was killed. I heard about this tragedy as I walked from my house on the hill down into town and saw road workers detouring traffic, causing a huge slow-down just as folks were coming into town to do their weekly shopping. I stopped to chat and they gave me the news and we talked about how many young men were driving themselves to death, driving too fast on the West Ireland lanes, and despite strict laws and big fines for doing so, drinking and driving.

From my house into town is a five minute walk and on the weekend evenings, I will pass several packs of young people congregating on the corners, or along the Mall, a walkway on either side of the Carrowbeg River, and in the car parks. There's a youth cafe and many do go there but it isn't as exciting as seeing what kind of trouble you can get into in the streets. Drinking is legal at age 18 but I don't think that's the big problem. As my Irish friends have told me, The Pub and too much socializing is still a way of life, and for some a way of death. That poor family of this young man buried him by Sunday.

But nothing prepared the town for the next sad event -- a young 15 year old boy hung himself in the school yard where he was found Sunday evening. Everyone could remember seeing him on his bike on Sunday afternoon but by Sunday evening he was dead.

Was it an accident? Did he understand the permanence of this foolish sad move? And his poor parents, to lose their precious son, albeit maybe geeky, lost, unpopular, dark, struggling with all the issues young teenagers muddle through. As one woman told me, if he could have only waited 2 more years, his life would have seemed better, he would see that there is life after school, things even out among kids by 16, boys fill out, get more confident.

I stood watch as the funeral made its way up the main street, hundreds of people in tow, slowly following the hearse, many of them his 'mates' in their shcool uniforms, huddled against one another in the frigid wintry air.

There just is nothing sadder in the world than the too soon death of a young person.