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Irish Emigrant 22 - 12 - 97 Issue 568

Three members of the same family were killed when their car collided with a truck near Mountrath, Co. Laois, on Friday night. Patrick Coffey (54), his wife Agnes who was also in her 50s and their daughter Siobhan (20), had arrived from London and picked up a hire car at Dublin Airport. They were on their way to Cappamore, Co. Limerick, to spend Christmas with Mr Coffey's family.

Irish Examiner 24 - 12 - 97

HUNDREDS of mourners gathered for the funeral of three members of the same family who were killed when their car collided with an articulated truck in an horrific crash. They were home from England for Christmas when the crash happened. London-based Fr Jim McGillicuddy gave the homily at the funeral Mass for the Coffey family who were killed on the main Limerick-Dublin road on Friday night. Fr McGillicuddy said the family's journey from Deftford in London to Cappamore, Co Limerick, by air should be the most dangerous part. But travelling by road was far more dangerous in the end. The wreath-laden coffins of Andrew Coffey(57), his wife, Agnes, and daughter, Siobháin(20), Deftford, London, were placed in front of the altar at a packed St Michael's Church in Cappamore.
The family, who had been living in London for over 20 years, was returning home to Cappamore to spend the Christmas with Andrew's 94-year-old mother, Mrs Katie Coffey, when the accident happened. Siobháin's grieving sister, Marie (25) had become engaged on Friday and was due to travel later with her fiancee also to spend Christmas with her grandmother Siobháin was a student of child psychology and was looking forward to her 21st birthday early next year. Her father, Andy, was caretaker of St Joseph's parish school in Deftford since 1991 and was highly praised for his work. "Only last week he had prepared the Christmas crib in the parish,'' said Fr McGillicuddy. Agnes was born in Falkirk in Scotland and was a nurse working on a night shift in a nursing home caring the for aged and vulnerable. She was a quiet and gentle person for whom such work would have come naturally, said Fr McGillicuddy. "The Coffey family loved Irish life and culture - this was reflected in the symbols on their coffins and the music and singing in the Church,'' he said. The Mayor of Limerick, Cllr Frank Leddin was among a large gathering of relatives and friends from England and Scotland in Limerick. The funeral took place to Ballinanure Cemetery in Murroe. Among the mourners were daughter, Marie, a teacher in London; Andrew's mother, Katie; brothers, Paddy, London; sisters, Mrs Mary Lackey, Tipperary; Mrs Bridie Hennessy, London, Mrs Peggy Rice, Armagh, and Agnes's sister, Margaret.