A six-year-old boy who died in an accident in Co Antrim has been described as a youngster who had "boundless enthusiasm, inquisitiveness and fearlessness". Hundreds of people attended the funeral of Joseph (Joe) Hegarty, who died in a quad bike accident on Friday . Mourners who gathered at St Patrick's & St Brigid's Church in Ballycastle dressed in colourful sports clothing to honour the schoolboy's love for sport and colour.
He was the much loved son of Andrea and Michael, and brother of Katie. Fr Con Boyle told the funeral mass that Joe was at the farm with his friends on Friday, when in an instant, he was "taken from us". Symbols representing his life were brought to the altar, including a football jersey with the number 26 along with his hurling helmet and hurl, tennis racket and football.
He was a pupil at St Patrick's & St Brigid's Primary School in Ballycastle and played for Carey Faughs Hurling Club and Naomh Padraig GAA Club. A family friend described Joe as a "force of nature". "Five minutes after you'd met Joe, you knew him and he knew you," he told mourners.
"He was relentlessly enthusiastic, and when you made Joe laugh, he made everyone else laugh for you. "He was six-years-old, but he was an oversized member of every team and tribe that he belonged to, whether that was the Hegarty and McIlroy families or his beloved Carey Faughs. "He was the heartbeat of so many get-togethers.
He asked a question or two or three. His energy and joy were infectious, and he had th.