Two funerals of ‘lifelong friends’ killed in Co Louth crash which claimed five lives take place
The funeral of Alan McCluskey took place in Co Meath on Friday morning before his good friend, Dylan Commins, was laid to rest in Ardee, Co Louth, this afternoon.
Both men were 23 years old.
A tractor-led guard of honour and photographs of family and friends represented the life of car crash victim Alan McCluskey at his funeral today, as he was remembered “as being made from everything good”.
St Peter and Paul’s Church in Drumconrath, Co Meath, was packed to capacity for Mr McCluskey’s funeral, with standing room only as mourners filled every pew and lined the walls.
Outside, crowds gathered along the church grounds and tractors lined the village in a mark of respect and honouring Mr McCluskey’s love for machinery and farming.
Alan McCluskey from Drumconrath, Co Meath. Photo: Family/PA
Such was the turnout that a livestream of the funeral was set up in the community centre.
Both young men were travelling to a night out in Dundalk last Saturday night, November 15, when the vehicle they were travelling in was involved in a two-car crash on the Ardee Road. Five people, all aged in their early 20s, were killed in the crash.
President Catherine Connolly is escorted into the church by Fr Finian Connaughton. Photo: Steve Humphreys
President Catherine Connolly, Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee and several local politicians were among the mourners at Peter and Paul’s Church.
Helen McEntee at St Peter and Paul’s Church in Drumconrath. Photo: Steve Humphreys
Family members placed their hands on the wooden coffin, bearing a yellow sign with Alan’s name on it, as it was carried into the packed church.
Gifts were brought to the altar to represent Mr McCluskey’s life, his love for travel, fun nights with friends and determination and passion for his work.
His mother and father presented a family photo along with a picture of Mr McCluskey and his beloved girlfriend Chloe, who died with him last Saturday night.
The hearse makes its way to the church. Photo: Steve Humphreys
Alan’s friends brought a pair of workboots and the Fencecraft logo, representing the business he ran in agricultural fencing alongside his father, Martin.
Small model machinery was also brought to the altar representing the fields and engines that brought him so much joy.
More friends brought a shirt Mr Cluskey wore on nights out, along with a personalised car registration plate which featured his name.
A guard of honour of John Deere Tractors formed. Photo: Steve Humphreys
An Emirates plane ticket and photos of him travelling showed his love for “experiences and seeing the world” and his drumsticks and some of his records, including those of Luke Combs, ACDC and Christy Moore, represented his love for music and the soundtrack to so many moments in his life.
Addressing hundreds of people, Father Finian Connaughton said: “Sudden and unexpected death does terrible things to us.
“Even as we carry out the funeral rituals there is still an air of disbelief, incomprehension that this is happening to someone who sat in these benches two Sundays ago, someone we saw driving his van up the street a very short time ago.”
The family of Alan McCluskey comfort each other. Photo: Steve Humphreys
Fr Connaughton told stories about knowing the McCluskey family personally, saying: “The timeline and the details of our engagements are too numerous to mention but I could begin, I suppose, with Alan’s baptism 22 years ago – there was singing that day.
“Most recently, in the days after Christmas, there was the memorable candlelit wedding ceremony for Conleth and Sharon, rather special with just the two families involved.
The remains of Alan McCluskey arrive at St Peter and Paul’s Church. Photo: Steve Humphreys
“There were many, many other happenings in between, music shows in the parish centre, decoration around the church for different seasons, parish festivals, a bale of straw for the harvest gathering or the outdoor crib, a mini digger bit of topsoil for the cemetery and, of course, turf on the bog.
Mourners gather at St Peter and Paul’s Church in Drumconrath. Photo: Steve Humphreys
“As a child, in his teenage years, Alan was seldom absent from any of these activities.”
Known for her involvement in musicals and local drama and music promotion, Mr McCluskey’s sister Sharon McCluskey sang In the Arms of the Angel.
In a reading, Sharon said: “The youngest, the miracle boy, whose hands once small and dainty, now held all of our hearts and kept the rhythm of our family’s heartbeat without ever trying.
“Born from the finest threads carefully woven through the love our parents and sisters sowed into you from the moment you came into this world.
“The same hands that learned to work hard from his father that carried tools and hopes alike, that embraced his mother and sisters and pet the dogs on quiet mornings. And held many hands to ensure the perfect jive.
“A space that was once immersed in your presence is now somehow larger in the absence of our entire being. And now that you’re gone, it will look for you in the quiet places.
“In the way the house remembers laughter, from the gentle petting of our dogs, you were made from everything good in us through your days, though your days were fewer than we ever could have borne. That empty space is now somehow full of you memory.
“You took our best parts with you and somehow left them all behind stitched into everything that we do.”
Dylan Commins “left an imprint on everyone he met”, mourners at his funeral heard in the Church of the Nativity of Our Lady in Ardee, Co Louth.
President Catherine Connolly, the Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee, aide de camp to Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Commandant Joe Glennon, and a number of local representatives were among the mourners who gathered at the packed church for the ceremony.
Local schoolchildren lined up for a guard of honour as the cortege arrived at the church in Ardee.
The symbols of Dylan’s life were brought to the altar by his family members, including a picture of Dylan’s lorry, his boots and his Coole Automotive T-shirt to represent the “thriving business he had built”.
Other objects were a picture of his family, representing memories holding them together; one of Dylan’s many scrambling trophies, representing his love for Milverton Motorcross Club; and his Winnie the Pooh teddy, advent calendar and Santa letter, representing his “softer side”.
One of his customised number plates, symbolising the friendships he had built during his life, was also presented at the altar.
Lauren Commins said her brother Dylan had “left an imprint on everyone he met”.
“We gather today with broken hearts to remember and to honour someone who brought light, laughter, and adventure into all our lives,” she told the mourners.
“Dylan lived quickly, loved deeply, and laughed loudly. He left an imprint on everyone he met – through his friendship, his mischief, his kindness, and his unstoppable determination.
“Though his life was far too short, it was packed with adventure, with bravery, with joy, and with the love of family and friends who adored him. Today, we don’t just mourn the life we lost – we honour the life he lived,” she added.
Local schoolchildren form a Guard of Honour as the cortege and remains of Dylan Commins arrive at The Church of the Nativity of Our Lady in Ardee Co Louth.Photo by Steve Humphreys21st November 2025.
Ms Commins said “adventurous doesn’t even begin to describe” her brother.
“Once he started walking, he never stopped – and that spirit carried him through every chapter of his life. Anyone who knew Dylan knew that ‘sitting still’ was never his strong point.”
She said his life “truly began to flourish” after school: “He tried many jobs, but following instructions was never something he was fond of. Like his dad, Dylan wanted to be his own boss. And slowly, that dream began to take shape.”
“This was also when the great love of his life – cars – took over completely. Some might even say that his love of cars came before his love of girls.
“From the age of 14, the Donegal Rally became a yearly pilgrimage, one that never lost its magic for him. He was the real king of the cone, and everyone who knew him knew it.”
President Catherine Connolly arrives at the Funeral Mass of Dylan Commins at The Church of the Nativity of Our Lady in Ardee Co Louth..
Photo by Steve Humphreys
21st November 2025.
He later moved to Australia, which his sister described as “one of his bravest decisions”, where he “worked hard in the mines, made lifelong friendships and grew even more confident in the man he was becoming”.
He came home to Ireland after 10 months and never went back, as that’s when his transport and recovery business, Coole Automotive, began.
“Dylan travelled the length and breadth of Ireland doing what he loved most. He could sell anything to anyone – he was the only man in Ireland who could sell a rough IS200 and convince you it was the best buy you’d ever made.
“He had big plans – bigger than most people his age. He talked about becoming a millionaire, and if life had given him the time, he absolutely would have made it happen.
“But on November 15, those dreams were cut heartbreakingly short, alongside the lives of his friends. And nothing will ever be the same again.
Dylan Commins family arrive at The Church of the Nativity of Our Lady in Ardee Co Louth for his Funeral Mass..
Photo by Steve Humphreys
21st November 2025.
“For Thomas, there will be no one left to shout at in the workshop. For Denise, her golden boy – her world has changed, and nothing can fill that space.
“Rest easy, Dylan, the showman. Your journey was wild, bright, and unforgettable – and your story will live on in all of us,” she added.
Fr Francesco Campiello, who led the funeral mass, said Dylan Commins was “constantly moving”.
“’There are no words’ – these are the only words that were uttered by most people after what happened last Saturday night.
“He was constantly moving: his teachers would know that pretty well. From one sport to the other, from one job to the other, from Ireland to Australia and back.
“Dylan’s life represents very well this restlessness, which deep down is the desire for a full and meaningful life,” he added.
Dylan is survived by his parents, Thomas and Denise; siblings Lauren, Jessica, and Sarah; and grandmother Sheila. He is predeceased by his grandparents Tommy, Peggy, and Tom.
The funerals of Chloe McGee and Shay Duffy will be held in Co Monaghan tomorrow.
This article was amended at 1pm, November 21 to clarify the start time of Mr Commins’ funeral as 2pm.
