THE PARENTS OF Karl Haugh (25) told mourners today that for their son to be taken the way he was “is the hardest part of all”.
At a packed St Senan’s Church in Kilkee, Bridget and Joseph Haugh said: “Our Karl did not deserve this – what child does?”
On Sunday morning, Karl died after being stabbed during an incident near his home at the Marian Estate in Kilkee.
In a letter by Karl’s parents read out at his funeral mass, they stated:
When you took our child away on that terrible night, his father’s soul and my own soul were taken as well.
Karl is the second child of the Haughs to die in tragic circumstances and today he was buried alongside his 16-year-old sister Stacey at Lisdeen cemetery outside Kilkee.
In October 2003, 11-year-old Karl as only given a 20% chance of living and underwent heart surgery in a crash that claimed the life of Stacey and her friend and neighbour, Lorna Mahoney (13).
Kilkee parish priest, Fr Gerry Kenny told the congregation today that young Karl returned to St Senan’s Church a few months after the crash in April 2004 to celebrate his Confirmation there with his parents.
In their letter read out mourning the loss of their only surviving child, Bridget and Joseph said to Karl: “You are with Stacey now, please give her a kiss from us. Oh God, it is not fair”.
The two added:
Karl, we will always love you. Our house will never be the same without you.
The Haughs described Karl “as a strong-willed person, he knew what he wanted in life”.
“As strong as you all think Karl was, he was a mammy’s boy, he was my boy. He was our boy and we loved him so much. Karl had his ups and downs and myself and his father were always there for him,” Bridget said.
Fr Kenny said that Bridget wanted people to remember Karl “as a loveable man and a loveable son”.
Baby Evelyn
Only in the last number of months, Karl became a father for the first time to baby Evelyn. His friend, Christopher told mourners that Karl told him on his recent 25th birthday that Evelyn was the best birthday present he ever got.
In his homily, Fr Kenny appealed for calm in the aftermath of Karl’s tragic death.
He said: “It is not a time for reaching out or reacting in anger and neither is it a time for despair. It is a time to be gentle with one another.”
“This is a time of great pain since the violent and tragic death of Karl last Sunday morning. It is a time of deep anguish, confusion, anger and darkness,” the priest added.
Mementos of Karl’s life were brought up to the altar at the end of the mass.
They included a graduation photo of Karl from a health and fitness course he recently completed, a model of a miniature motorbike symbolising his love for his bike, a music speaker for his love of music that had earlier played Drake’s One Dance and boxing gloves and dumb-bells showing Karl’s love of fitness.
The gifts also included a symbol of the excitement and welcome for baby Evelyn.
Karl’s coffin was draped in the blue and white colours of Kilkee GAA club and a group of Karl’s motorcycle friends drove for a time behind the hearse as Karl’s remains were brought through the streets of the seaside resort on their journey to Lisdeen cemetery.
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