The youngest victim of the tragic hotel stampede was remembered as a "courteous and appreciative student" as he was laid to rest today.
Connor Currie, 16, died in a crush at the Greenvale Hotel in Cookstown, Co Tyrone on St Patrick's night.
Mourners at his funeral in Saint Malachy’s Church, Edendork in Tyrone heard how Connor had "an infectious smile".
Chief celebrant Father Kevin Donaghy, parish priest of Dungannon said: "Friends have recalled how he lit up a room as he entered it and his infectious smile warmed everyone’s hearts.
"Teachers remember him as a courteous and appreciative young student, always in the habit of saying thank you as he left the classroom - though he maybe let that be the passport that got him through an odd bit of mischief as well!
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"At home that 'thank you' was a constant habit as well - he always spoke those words as he left the kitchen table.
"Unlike the usual reputation of teenage boys he was quite fussy about the tidiness of his room, the wardrobe hangers well used and clothes neatly folded in the drawer, no clutter in the room and everything in its place. He knew he was loved at home – as his parents said to me 'he was a gem'."
Father Donaghy also recalled Connor's close bond with his beloved younger brothers.
He said: "He had a remarkable capacity to look after his younger brothers Sean, Cormac and Cahir: so much so that he could be left to look after them and even prepare food for them when their parents went shopping or on some short trip."
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Connor's parents Ciara and Eamonn and his brothers brought several items to the altar to symbolise the sports-mad teen's life at the start of the ceremony.
They presented a family photograph, a Saint Patrick’s Academy blazer, an Edendork football club jersey, Connor’s football boots and a football trophy.
Tyrone footballer and local primary school teacher Niall Morgan read the Communion Reflection.
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Father Donaghy paid tribute to Connor's love of sports in the homily saying: "He was a star on the football field as well - the trophy brought up at the start of the Mass just one token of the commitment and skills he was developing."
He added:"And there’s always bits of a teenager’s life that the parents don’t get to see, so it has only been in the last few days that Connor’s friends shared with his parents some video shots on their phones of Connor practising his dance moves – and improving those skills as well!"
Connor was laid to rest in the cemetery adjoining St Malachy's Church following the funeral service.
