The families of the two Irish teenagers who died on the Greek holiday island of Ios have revealed details of their funeral arrangements – while paying poignant tribute to the boys.
Thousands are expected to attend the services which will both be held at the same Dublin church, The Church of the Sacred Heart Donnybrook, but on separate occasions.
The first funeral, on Monday, will be for Max Wall, who collapsed and died after spending a day looking for his friend Andrew O’Donnell.
Max’s family said that with his death ‘the world has lost a little colour.’
In a funeral notice they said: ‘Max, with a larger than life personality, brought great joy to the lives of his family and friends and everyone he came in contact with.
Andrew O’Donnell (left) and his classmate Max Wall (right), both 18 and from the same school, died in separate tragic incidents over the weekend
Thousands are expected to attend the services which will both be held at the same Dublin church, The Church of the Sacred Heart Donnybrook, but on separate occasions
‘During his short time, he faced numerous challenges that he bore with great courage and bravery and always remained his most positive sunny fun filled self.
‘Max, to the unimaginable grief of his parents Niall & Fiona, adored bigger brother Charlie, grandson of Nuala Wall and Fiona’s father Carl Laverty will be deeply missed by his aunts, uncles, cousins, friends especially those in St Michael’s College.’
His funeral mass will be followed by burial at Kilternan Cemetery Park.
The second service for Andrew, who died after a fall, will take place two days later, next Wednesday at the same church, followed by a private family cremation.
Andrew’s family said: ‘Our beloved Andrew departed from this world far too soon. Andrew passed away unexpectedly leaving behind a void that can never be filled.
‘Andrew brought immense joy to the lives of his family, friends, and all who knew him.
‘He possessed a vibrant spirit, a kind heart, and a sense of humour that brightened the darkest of days. He was known for his passion for sports, his footballing talents, his charming demeanour, and his love for his two golden retrievers, Marnie & Maisie.
‘He was unfailingly loyal to his friends and relatives, in Ireland and England, and touched the lives of so many during his short time with us, including those he shared experiences with at St. Matthew’s National School, St. Michael’s College Secondary School, Old Belvedere RFC and Belmont FC.’
Dozens of students lined a road leading to the island’s port as the bodies of Andrew O’Donnell and Max Wall, both 18, were taken on to a ferry
Heads bowed solemnly, many of the youngsters were pupils of St Michael’s College, Dublin, where the two young men also studied
The family said the death of the teenager, who fell from a rocky path and was found dead in a gully, had brought ‘inexpressible grief ‘ to his parents Bebhinn and Gavin, and older brother Rory.
His demise was strongly being mourned by his relatives including aunts, uncles, cousins in both Ireland and England and a wide circle of friends, but ‘especially the Leaving Cert Class of 2023’.
It comes after touching images revealed Irish students forming a guard of honour as the bodies of their two friends left the Greek island of Ios.
Dozens of pupils lined a road leading to the port as the bodies of Andrew and Max were taken on to a ferry for Athens so that post-mortems could establish the exact cause of deaths.
With their heads bowed solemnly, many of the youngsters were pupils of St Michael’s College, Dublin, where the two young men studied.
They were part of a bigger group of students from schools across Ireland. They were on a post-exams holiday to Ios to mark the end of their secondary education.
Some of the pupils placed yellow roses on the hearses of the two pupils as a sign of their friendship while others wept as their bodies were taken from Ios Health Centre to the port, a short distance away, on Tuesday.
Some of the students placed yellow roses on the hearses of the two pupils as a sign of their friendship
Andrew and Max’s parents were also in Ios and they accompanied their coffins to Athens.
Greek officials revealed that initial findings showed that Andrew died after falling and sustaining an injury to his head. His body was discovered on early Sunday afternoon on a rocky slope close to the port area.
Max is believed to have suffered a heart attack just an hour later after hearing of the news while walking in the port area and collapsed at the entrance to an alley.
Officials said toxicology tests will also be carried out. Andrew is believed to have been on a night out with pals in Hora, which is crammed with bars and clubs selling cheap drinks, before he was separated from them.
He went missing early on Saturday and was discovered on a rocky slope yards from a hospital and a busy main road more than 24 hours after he was first reported missing.
His body was found in scrub land located just below a popular five-star hotel overlooking the port of Ios. It’s one of the busiest sites on the popular Greek holiday island – an area Greek police had already searched but failed to find him.
The desperate search of the island also involved his classmates.
Max was found at the entrance to an alleyway near the town’s port.
Andrew O’Donnell, 18 was found dead in scrub land (left) located just below a popular five-star hotel and overlooking the port of Ios. Just hours later, his friend Max Wall collapsed and was found at the entrance to a narrow alley in the Ios port area (right)
A bouquet of flowers lay at the top of the slope where Andrew was found on Sunday
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