Funeral of teen who died in Meath swimming tragedy to take place tomorrow
The 15-year-old from Dundalk died last Friday
The of funeral of Dundalk teenager Kofi Owusu will take place on Friday
The funeral of teenager Kofi Jackson Owusu, who died last Friday after getting into difficulty in the River Nanny, is set to be held tomorrow.
The 15-year-old's body was recovered from the water three hours after the alarm was raised in Laytown, Co. Meath.
Mourners will gather at the Eternity Room of Quinn's Funeral Homes, Dundalk today, Thursday, June 26th from 3pm-7pm.
His funeral service will take place at The Redeemed Christian Church of God, in Dundalk tomorrow, Friday, June 27th at 1pm.
The congregation are set to gather at Quinn's Funeral Home before proceeding on foot to the burial at St. Patrick's Cemetery.
He is survived by his parents Tony and Maria, and sisters Faith and Esther.
His football club, Redeemer Celtic FC set up a GoFundMe to raise money for his bereaved family.
'The untimely passing of Kofi has left so many heartbroken, and shook a community & town and further to its core,' the page reads.
'A child of fantastic talent, hugely popular with a wide circle of friends. A child whose characteristics show he was raised as a highly respectful youngster, he was a credit to his loving family.'
The football club have said that there are 'no words' to ease his family's suffering, but has appealed for support at this 'heartbreaking' time andlaunched a GoFundMe to help support the boy's devastated family in the wake of the tragedy.
So far 496 donors to the Kofi Jackson Owusu GoFundMe has raised €11,390 of a €11,000 goal.
The teen who lived in Blackrock, Dundalk, had just finished his Junior Certificate at Coláiste Chú Chulainn earlier this month.
In a statement following his death, Kofi's football club shared fond memories of the talented player arriving at the club as a young child who needed his shoe laces tied by coaches.
'A ferocious competitor every time he pulled on the Redeemer kit, and this seen us achieve unthinkable success time after time & year after year.
'Kofi was a massive part of our club, Kofi was a massive part of our lives.
'We will strive to keep Kofi's memory within the club, and with absolutely broken hearts.'
The club shared a picture of two number 6 jerseys lying on the pitch alongside a bouquet of flowers, adding that the club would be 'closed until further notice'.
The of funeral of Dundalk teenager Kofi Owusu will take place on Friday
News in 90 Seconds - June 26th
The principal of his secondary school, Principal Thomas Sharkey, said they were heartbroken at the death of the 'very caring and very diligent student.'
"He's an excellent sportsman. He had just played in an All-Ireland basketball final and in a Leinster soccer final in his age group of under-16.
"He finished his Junior Cert exams only 10 days ago, and his older sister was a past pupil of our school.
'Kofi and his family are in all of our thoughts.'
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