A man who was transformed from joy to grief within hours in Qatar, having celebrated the arrival of his daughter only to learn about his parents’ demise in a tragic house fire in his hometown Cork, has shared at their simultaneous funeral that they were not just each other’s life partners but also his closest friends.
John and Gabrielle O’Donnell were tragically killed when a fire erupted in their charming row house located on the urban fringes of Cork City, on Lower Glanmire Road, on April 4th.
The senior couple had been overwhelmed with joy earlier that day with the news delivered by their son, Mark, about the birth of his daughter in Doha, Qatar. Mark, a pilot by profession, resides in Qatar alongside his wife, Grace. The news had spurred a small gathering at their home with neighbours over tea and cake to celebrate the arrival of little Hannah.
During their collective funeral held at St Patrick’s Church in Lower Glanmire Road on Wednesday, Mark conveyed to those present that the row house, which had housed four generations of his family and sadly witnessed the demise of his “extraordinary” parents, will see further life. He pledged to reconstruct the home harboring his family history and countless tales of “Granny Gay and Granddad John”, promising to relay these stories to his daughter.
Reminiscing about his parents’ love story, Mark said they met in the 70s when his father, a man originally from Achill Island in Co Mayo, had been employed in the steel industry in Cork. He fondly remembered them as inseparable since the day they met.
He remembered his parents as lovers of both music and Gaelic games.
“They had their respective Cork and Mayo jerseys here today. But I managed the last goof. My mother wore the Mayo jersey and my father sported the Cork one.”
The loss of his parents, Mark says, represents not only a significant loss for their own family but also for the close-knit and supportive Lower Glanmire Road community.
He expressed his and his brothers, Damien and John, immense gratitude for the vast support pouring in from not just Cork, but also his father’s birthplace Achill Island.
He extended his thanks to the police and fire brigade for their immediate response when the fire was reported and the subsequent substantial efforts.
Furthermore, he invited the attendees to applaud the emergency services and the police for their remarkable efforts.
Fr Jilson Kokkandathail CC conducted the Mass, with Bishop Emeritus John Buckley also contributing prayer offerings. The inferno is regarded as a heartbreaking mishap. The pair were discovered in close proximity several hours post the ignition of the fire.