The remains of Megan O’Connor who died following a freak accident arriving at the Church of St. Thomas The Apostle in Jobstown Tallaght. Photo: Steve Humphreys

A TEENAGER who died just before Christmas after falling on a glass bottle she was carrying had saved the life of an elderly woman within the past month, mourners at her funeral heard.

Megan O’Connor (18) from Glenshane in Tallaght in Dublin, was on Sundrive Road in Crumlin with friends in the early hours of December 23 when she fell.

She had been carrying a glass drinks bottle which broke underneath her, and is believed to have caused a fatal cut to an artery.

At her funeral today she was remembered as a young woman finding her way in life, and a beacon of bright light to those that knew her.

Her aunt Sonya paid tribute to her at the Church of St Thomas in Jobstown, Tallaght, and told how only weeks ago Megan had been on the Luas with her girlfriend Nikita when an elderly lady became unwell.

But Megan had performed CPR on her until the ambulance arrived.

“That lady is alive today because of Megan,” she said.

She also warned young people of the dangers of carrying glass bottles, and urged them to be careful with them after Megan’s accident.

In his homily, Fr Pat McKinley told how Megan would be remembered by many as ‘Fuzzy’ because of her hair, which was very curly until she had it cut recently.

“Megan, like everyone of us life, had her share of struggles. She had her ups and downs, she had her troubles. I believe she gave her family and some of her teachers free coaching in sprinting as she ducked and dived around school and home,” he said.

Expand Close The funeral of Megan O’Connor who died following a freak accident at the Church of St. Thomas The Apostle in Jobstown Tallaght. Pic Steve Humphreys / Facebook

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Whatsapp The funeral of Megan O’Connor who died following a freak accident at the Church of St. Thomas The Apostle in Jobstown Tallaght. Pic Steve Humphreys

“But whatever struggles she had, her short life was ultimately a bright blaze of light and laughter and love,” he added.

Fr McKinley said that Megan had recently been in a new phase in her life. “Megan was calming down. She was dreaming dreams. She one day hoped to buy a house for her mam Tina, and her aunt Sonya. She wanted to be a good big sister to her little brother Brandon.”

Megan had been on a Youthreach programme and hoped to get into engineering.

Symbols of her life brought to the altar included sports shirts and scarves, a pair of runners, and a boxing glove.

Mourners heard that Megan loved sport and hoped to get involved with boxing again, and MMA, before her tragic death.

Gardaí are investigating all of the circumstances surrounding Megan’s death, but are treating it as a tragic accident.

She had been socialising with friends on Saturday night, December 22, in the Dublin 12 area.

It is understood she had been carrying a bottle of vodka in a pocket along Sundrive Road when she fell shortly before 1am on the Sunday morning.

The bottle broke and she suffered serious injuries, including a severed artery.

Emergency services were immediately notified and rushed to the area.

Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB) paramedics were called to the scene and brought her to St James's Hospital.

However, she was tragically pronounced dead short time later.

After her funeral mass today Megan’s white coffin was brought to Bohernabreena cemetery for burial.

Many of her young friends wore T-shirts with her picture on them.

Online Editors