Funeral held for one of five teenage boys who died in head-on crash after driving wrong way down Irish motorway

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 08:06 EDT, 25 August 2026 | Updated: 08:18 EDT, 25 August 2026 Mourners gathered today for the final funeral following the horror crash in the Republic of Ireland in which five teenagers were killed.Relatives and friends of 17-year-old Jack Kennedy followed the cortege as it travelled through Athy in County Kildare ahead of his funeral at St Michael's Parish Church.The solemn procession in the historic market town was watched by Garda officers after the crash in the early hours on Sunday at junction three of the M9 motorway.The five teenagers died after the car they were travelling in was driven the wrong way down the road and was involved in a head-on collision with another car.Funerals have already been held for four youngsters who died in the crash - Joey Carthy, 15; Alex McCarthy, 16; Kamil Pustkowski, 17; and Jeremy O'Brien, 18.Three sisters and a young boy from the same family, who were in the other car, were left with serious injuries. They had been travelling to the airport to go on holiday.The crash, which happened at about 3am, has raised issues about online videos of dangerous driving, and how social media companies deal with illegal content.Speaking about the incident today, Ireland's deputy prime minister Simon Harris said there has been a 'breakdown in respect for authority' and the 'value of life'. The cortege for 17-year-old Jack Kennedy makes its way through Athy in County Kildare today Relatives and friends of 17-year-old Jack Kennedy followed the cortege through Athy today The solemn procession in the historic market town follows the crash on August 16 The teenagers died after the car they were travelling in was driven the wrong way down a road The cortege for the funeral of Jack Kennedy arrives at St Michael's Parish Church today A Garda officer looks on as mourners arrive for the funeral at St Michael's Parish Church today The coffin is brought into St Michael's Parish Church in Athy for Jack Kennedy's funeral today Mourners gather at St Michael's Parish Church in Athy for the funeral of Jack Kennedy today Jack Kennedy, 17, was one of the five teenagers to die in the crash on the M9 motorway The incident on August 16 saw five teenagers die in a wrong-way crash in County KildareHe also spoke about deep societal issues, saying the situation is multifaceted and crosses social media, government, the criminal justice system and road safety issues.Last week, TikTok declined to publicly appear before an Oireachtas committee, with the social media giant instead offering a private briefing to lawmakers.Yesterday at the funeral for O'Brien in Askea, the priest told mourners that 'what the boys did was wrong', but that 'tragedy' must not become the whole story.The Irish police service had a visible presence in the town in County Carlow amid outcry over the circumstances of the crash and concern for possible disorder.Young men wore T-shirts with a picture of Mr O'Brien emblazoned on the front, and Father Tom Little told mourners that there was a 'deep sense of sadness and loss'.