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Daughter of couple found dead at Clare home reads emotional poem at funeral Mass

David Hurley, 13 Nov

AN ADULT daughter of County Clare couple, Joe Collins and Claire

Collins told mourners this Monday that she would give anything to have

another happy family day with her parents.

At a packed Saint Brigid’s Church in Corofin, in a heartbreaking poem

penned by herself addressed to her parents, Sara Collins said: "Mum and

Dad we love you we want you both to know - It was always so easy to be

just us four - But it is so, so hard to let you go.”

Fighting back the tears, Sara said that her mother, Claire "showed us

how to be gentle, loving and kind” and that her father, Joe "showed us

how proud you were of us”.

Sara said: "If we could bring you back, we would hug you both forever -

even though we can’t we will love you more than ever.... What

we wouldn’t give to have one more of those happy, happy days with you.”

In her words to the packed congregation after Communion, Sara said that

she had penned the poem "to close that lovely and beautiful chapter” on

her life with her parents.

She told mourners that herself and her sister, Tara "got a lot of

advice from Mum and Dad over the years about different things - they

were so good".

The joint funeral mass for the couple was celebrated four days after

the the bodies of the couple were found at their home at Crossard,

Kilnaboy in the north of the county.

Gardai are treating the deaths as a suspected ‘murder suicide’.

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In her poem, Sara said: "We miss you both today. We miss you both

tomorrow. Nothing can be done to end our pain and sorrow. We love you

both to the moon and back…”

She added that her parents "showed us the way every way we knew how”.

In his own tribute, Joe Collins’ brother, Brian Collins said that "Joe

and Claire were married for 30 years. There was happiness. There was

fun and there was love. Their two beautiful girls, Tara and Sara are

such a credit to them."

He said: "Joe and Claire were so delighted when baby Rian arrived.

The pride and joy was bursting out of them. They were two good,

hardworking people who we loved so very much and that is how we

will remember them.”

Brian Collins thanked parish priest for the area, Fr Des Hillery "for

his support, his words of prayer and words of calm over these

very few difficult days".

Mr Collins also thanked for Gardai for their professionalism and for

their sensitivity and to the Collins’ neighbours, friends "and whole

community of Kilnaboy and Corofin and far beyond".

In his words to the congregation, Fr Hillery said that "the past few

days our lives and our routine has been plunged into turbulence and

swirling directionless”.

He said: "Change has happened - it is not the same and it will never be

the same.”

Fr Hillery said that for Sara and Tara "and all of the family and for

all of this community, we are still in the plunge pool of turbulence

and confusion".

He said: "If our faith means anything, we believe together as a

Christian community, the words at the ceremony of baptism will be our

strength."

Earlier, in a reminder of the happy family life in the Collins

home, Tara brought a photo of Claire, Joe, Sara and herself sharing

dinner together and Fr Hillery said that the photo shows them "happy

and laughing which is something they did often thanks to Claire’s great

cooking and Joe’s Barbeque skills”.

Sara brought up a photo of couple's much loved dog, Buddy who, Fr

Hillery remarked "was was the best-walked dog in Kilnaboy thanks

to their love of walking”.

Claire’s mother, Angela presented a book to symbolise Claire's love of

reading while a cycling helmet was offered up to symbolise Joe Collins'

"love of cycling and and his many great friends he had at Dolmen

cycling".

Sara’s partner, Michael presented a hat belonged to their baby son,

Rian and "Claire and Joe’s grandson who they truly cherished” according

to Fr Hillery.

Gardai are not looking for anyone else in relation to the deaths of

the couple and a file will be prepared for Clare County Coroner,

Isobel O’Dea for an inquest to be held at a later date.

Following the Requiem Mass, the bodies of the couple were brought for a

Cremation Service at Shannon crematorium.