A south Armagh community came together in grief for the funeral Mass of Newtownhamilton woman Shionnainn McArdle, whose sudden death has left family, friends and neighbours “dazed, stunned, and bewildered”.
Shionnainn, of Dundalk Road – who was just 25-years-old – was the beloved daughter of Oliver and Margaret, cherished sister of Ollie (Ciara), Joleen (Seamus) and Shea, and a much‑loved aunt to Ciaran, Aaron, Phelim, Leah, Rhys, Oisín, Meghan, Luke and Lorcán.
The Mass was presided over by the Very Rev Canon Michael Toner, who told mourners that a piece of Shionnainn’s artwork hanging in the wake house had stopped him in his tracks – a girl’s face with the word “dazed” woven into it.
“That word struck me forcibly,” he said, “because I think it conveyed very succinctly how all Shionnainn’s family and friends and the entire community of the parish of Lower Creggan felt on hearing the news of Shionnainn’s unexpected and tragic death. Dazed, stunned, bewildered.”
Canon Toner said the Irish traditions of wake, Requiem Mass and burial over three days were “part of a process” that helps families move “from tears of pity or anger to tears of loving thankfulness”.
“That is our hope and prayer for Shionnainn’s parents, Margaret and Oliver, and for her siblings, Joleen, Ollie and Shea, and for all the members of Shionnainn’s extended family, and for all her friends – that your tears may, in time, become tears of thankfulness,” he said.
“And yes, indeed, there is much to be thankful for.
“Thanks for a young girl who brought joy, fun, and laughter, and a bit of craic, not only to her family, but to all her friends and many others.
“Thanks for Shionnainn’s talents artistically, musically and vocally. Thanks for her generous devotion and goodness to her mummy and daddy, and her easy relationship with her nephews and nieces, whom I’m told she only loved to bits.
“Thanks for the pride Shionnainn brought her mummy and daddy and all the family when she graduated in June past with a 2:1 honours degree from the University of Ulster.”
Born on December 27, 1999, he described her as “a gift to her mummy and daddy for the new third millennium”.
Mindful of her youth and the circumstances of her death, Canon Toner addressed some of his final words directly to Shionnainn’s friends and to young people in the parish.
He recalled the words of an elderly priest friend who had once described death by suicide as “a permanent solution to a temporary problem”.
“I think these are useful and important words to reflect on,” he said. “Shionnainn will not have died in vain if, by her action, she has saved one other person’s life and saved another family from the awful, unspeakable grief, trauma and shock the McArdle and McNulty families have experienced this past couple of days.
“Shionnainn will not have died in vain if it saves even one person from a life of despair and hopelessness. Shionnainn will not have died in vain if her untimely death teaches others to realise just how much they are loved and respected.
“Shionnainn will not have died in vain if her death changes today’s culture to one that recognises that it is not weakness to ask for help. It is not weakness to cry out in pain. It is not weakness to admit depression or a pervading anxiety. It is not weakness to admit failure or mistakes.”
He said her death would not be in vain if the parish community “listens to the pain of all our people, especially our young people, and offers them support and hope for a better future”.
Canon Toner also shared a story told to him by another priest friend about a colleague who had taken his own life in a mental health unit after years of illness.
“My priest friend told me that he took comfort from the fact that the deceased priest was now in heaven because he had done his purgatory here on earth,” he said.
“In the midst of this tragedy and unspeakable sorrow, I think that that is a wholesome thought to hold on to today, as we return Shionnainn back into the loving embrace of God – that she did her purgatory here on earth.”
The Mass concluded with poems from two family members which read:
This world with a light of her own, a beautiful girl with a heart like a home,
She loved all things beautiful, colour and art,
With creative flowing straight from her heart,
She loved doing her makeup, her handbags and shoes,
And all little touches the style that she would choose,
And then there were cats who held a place in her heart,
Another little woven into her art,
She had a kindness that reached far and wide,
A caring nature she never could hide,
With so much love, from her family and friends too,
For nieces and nephews, and all that she knew,
Her wee white Fiat so proudly she owned,
Taking a place wherever she roamed.
****
Some of the sweetest memories she made were rides,
On the yellow-handed trike, with her dad by her side,
Those precious wee moments, so happy, so dear,
Are treasured by her family, forever held near,
She graduated from art college, proud of what she’d achieved,
She had a course in animation, with dreams to believe,
You now live in the laughter, the photographs too,
In every little thing that reminds us of you,
And though there are tears where your laughter once stayed,
The love that you give will never fade,
For beautiful souls don’t simply depart,
They leave pieces of themselves in every heart.
Your story isn’t over. Your light isn’t gone,
It shines in the hearts of all you’ve touched upon.
And up in heaven, where the angels softly sing,
Nanny Mac will hold you close and guide your wings,
And when the stars shine bright at night,
We look up and remember, Shionnainn still shines so bright.
Most read today
PUBLIC NOTICE
