Vigil held for sisters & young boy injured in M9 crash as community in ‘fear & grief’ as family ‘overwhelmed by support

A VIGIL for three sisters and a young boy injured in the horrific wrong-way M9 crash has been told they face “difficult and uncertain days”.

Ella Hendricken, aged in her 20s, and Niamh and Alma Kinsella, aged in their 30s, as well as Alma’s seven-year-old son Yemi, are being treated in hospital after their Hyundai was hit by a BMW driven by five youths.

Alex McCarthy, 16, Joey Carthy, 15, Jack Kennedy, 17, Jeremy O’Brien, 18, and 17-year-old Kamil Pustkowski all died at the scene of the horrific smash on the M9 in Co Kildare at 3am on Sunday.

Funerals for McCarthy, Pustkowski and Carthy were held earlier today

The vigil took place as Niamh and Alma, thought to have been in the front of the vehicle when the collision took place, remain in critical condition in Tallaght Hospital.

Ella is in St Vincent’s Hospital in a serious condition, while Yemi is being treated for his injuries at Crumlin Children’s Hospital.

The innocent victims were on their way to Dublin Airport to fly out for a family wedding in the UK when the teens’ BMW drove at high speed on the wrong side of the road and smashed into their Hyundai.

The sisters belong to a well-respected family from the Graiguecullen area of Co Carlow.

Tonight hundreds of shocked locals gathered for a vigil at St Clare’s Church in Graiguecullen.

Parish priest Fr John Dunphy led prayers “for strength, courage and healing” for the three sisters and young boy.

He said: “We gather tonight, first of all, in prayer. And when a community comes together in prayer, it gives great strength. Since last Sunday morning, our hearts were numb.

“But our hearts too went out to Ella, Niamh, Alma and Yemi. We prayed that they will recover. We knew it would be a long road back.

“Thankfully, they’re on that road and please God, they will make a full recovery.

“We’re here to pray. Maybe a prayer is not your thing. You’re just here to show solidarity and support. That’s important too.

“Because showing solidarity and support will give Ella, Niamh, Alma and Yemi great strength and great courage.

“We gather as Christians too because we believe in Jesus. And Jesus came on earth to bring healing and peace into people’s lives. The only thing that Jesus ever required was that we would have faith in him

“And so with all our hearts, we renew our faith in Jesus this night. And pray for Ella, Niamh, Alma and Yemi that they will experience the healing power of Jesus. We pray for them.”

Fr Dunphy told how worried relatives of the three sisters and young boy were “sitting by their bedside in hospital”.

He said: “We pray for them too, they’re very much in our thoughts and prayers this night.”

The parish priest issued a special message of thanks on behalf of the families of the injured to the doctors treating their loved ones in hospital.

Fr Dunphy said: “Especially they would like to thank the emergency services again. And especially to the surgeons, doctors, nurses and carers in the hospitals where they are being treated.

“They (the medics) are going way beyond the call of duty. And so they want to acknowledge and thank them for their goodness and generosity.”

Meanwhile, the Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin Denis Nulty spoke of the “deep shock” in the community.

Bishop Nulty recalled his memories of hearing the news of the 9/11 terror attack, saying that that day “millions turned to prayer to cope with the impact of sudden shock, of fear, of grief”.

And speaking about the M9 tragedy, he continued: “Six days on we have come to pray with the same shock, fear and grief.”

The crowds in the church lit candles for the injured family members as the bishop highlighted how the M9 crash victims “could be any one of us”.

He said: “The thing about it is, they could be any one of us on the road from Carlow to catch an early morning flight from Dublin Airport.”

Bishop Nulty also prayed for the families of the five youths who died in the wrong-way smash.

He said: “We also remember the five boys in the (other) car and that’s the Christian thing to do.

“They too have heartbroken parents, families and friends, we pray for them this evening.”

And social media users were also urged to be careful what they post about the tragedy.

Bishop Nulty said: “Words can hurt. But they also have the power to heal.

“To be careful of our social media posting, what is posted cannot be unposted, to be careful of our commentary.”