Killian Burnett ‘Euro boy’ remembers being a ‘smart businessman in the making’ in moving funeral speech
‘Euro boy’ Killian Burnett was remembered as a ‘clever businessman in the making’ during a moving speech by his uncle at his funeral today.
Killian’s family and friends “lost a link in their chain” when the 15-year-old died of an asthma attack last Tuesday.
The Finglas schoolboy had been in and out of Temple Street Children’s Hospital due to recurring asthma attacks over the past year.
Read more: Funeral arrangements announced for tragic Finglas schoolboy Killian Burnett
Mourners heard the Hollies classic He’s Not Heavy, He’s My Brother as they bid farewell to Killian who was just months away from his 16th birthday.
Darren Travers, Killian’s uncle, gave a touching eulogy to those in the church.
He spoke of the 15-year-old’s entrepreneurial potential, saying: “He was a smart boy, a budding businessman.
“He knew how to do a few bobs. That’s why we called him the euro boy, I think.
“He would go to the supermarket and ask them if he could take the trolley back, only to claim the euro they had left there.
(Photo: Robbie Kane)
“Then there were the Christmas carols. He went around the houses with his friends singing – even though he didn’t have a note in his head. And I think they gave him some l money to leave more than for singing.
“Killian was just a child, and neither his family nor his friends will ever have the opportunity to see him grow into a young man, to see him marry and have his own children and build his own house.
“Those of his brother, Jordan, Aaron, Adam, Leon and David have lost the link in their chain.”
Darren recalled little times in the family home, like fighting over the TV remote and the PlayStation controller.
There was also the time when Killian went fishing and “had nowhere to put the fish” he had caught, but wanted to take it home to show his family.
(Photo: Robbie Kane)
He said: “Thinking quickly, he took off one of his rubber boots, filled it with water and put the fish in the boot. Unfortunately, the fish died.
“When he came home to show his mum and dad the catch of the day, he stuck his finger in the water and twirled it around to make it look like the fish was still alive.”
He added: “The memories people have of Killian will eventually bind them over time and this chain, with those memories, will bring that chain back together.”
(Image: RIP.ie)
Darren ended the moving tribute by saying “Killian will never be forgotten, and we will always carry him in our hearts”.
The song Gone Too Soon by Michael Jackson was sung along with instrumental versions of Don’t Look Back in Anger by Oasis and Tears In Heaven by Eric Clapton.
Killian is survived by his parents, Cathy and David, as well as his five brothers, Jordan, Aaron, Adam, Leon and David.
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