The former secondary of two young men who were killed in a tragic road crash in Co Donegal at the weekend have paid tribute to their former pupils saying they had such a "zest for life".
Shaun McClafferty (17) and Jamie Diver, who was in his 20s, were both pupils at Falcarragh PCC in West Donegal.
Both men were killed when the car in which they were travelling collided with the gable wall of a house at Baltoney, Gortahork on Friday evening. Two other young men were injured in the crash, one of them seriously.
One of the men injured has since been transferred from Letterkenny University Hospital to Beaumont Hospital in Dublin for specialist treatment. Both young men killed in the single-vehicle crash are to be laid to rest in the coming days.
Jamie Diver's funeral will take place at Christ the King Church in Gortahork on Wednesday followed by Shaun McClafferty's funeral the following day at the same church, the Irish Mirror reports.
Pupils and teachers at their former secondary school said the young men will be remembered for their 'zest for life.'
A spokesperson said: "We as a school are deeply saddened by the passing of our former pupils, Jamie Diver and Shaun Martin McClafferty, in a tragic accident at the weekend
"Their loss will be felt among our school community in shared moments and in our special memories of both young men. They both will be remembered for their strong friendships, gentle kindness and zest for life.
"Their young lives filled with hope, talent and dreams for the future have been taken too soon. May their gentle souls rest in peace."
The school also paid tribute to the other two men hurt in the crash who were also pupils of the school.
They said they will continue to pray for the recovery of the young men, Josh Scanlon and Darragh Lynch, who are also from the locality.
Fr. Brian O'Fearraigh, who attended the scene of last Friday's crash, revealed how he gave the last rites to the two young friends at the scene. He told how he was asked to call to the scene by local Gardai and described the scene that he met.
"It was just a devastating sense of silence and sadness," he said. "Here we had two young lads whose lives were full and all of a sudden they were cut short. It really is sometimes difficult to put it into words but what it once again brought home to me is how fragile life is.
"This kind of tragedy is not uncommon in Donegal but you never get used to it. Losing a child is not a natural thing for parents to go through and when it happens it is just devastating," he added.
Fr O'Fearraigh said the local community will wrap its arms around the families of all those involved in the tragedy including those who lost loved ones.
Gardai say they continue to carry out a full investigation into the cause of the crash.
Head of the Garda Traffic Corps in Co Donegal, Inspector Seamus McGonigle, issued a plea for anybody who witnessed the crash or who may have dashcam footage of the tragedy to come forward.
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