Tributes have poured in for a Britain’s Got Talent star, who was killed just weeks after his father died in a third tragedy for his family.
Oran McConville, 18, was killed in a car smash when he was in the front passenger seat in the early hours of Saturday morning.
A talented footballer, he found fame as a child when his school choir took part in the 2017 series of the ITV competition, reaching the semi-finals.
The teenage horror comes just six weeks after Oran’s father Paddy’s own sudden ‘untimely passing’ on February 21.
And the family had been hit by tragedy before – when his ‘happy, intelligent’ 11-year-old sister was also killed after being knocked down by a Volkswagen people carrier.
In a heartbreaking tribute from the siblings’ mother Amanda, just days before Oran’s death, she bid her husband goodbye saying simply: ‘Paddy and Rachael, Together Again.’
At his Requiem Mass, in Drumgath, Co Down, parish priest Fr Charles Byrne said: ‘Oran’s tragic death early on Saturday morning has brought devastating shock and grief to his family, to his friends, to our local community here and the wider community around it.’
He continued: ‘As we all know, just six weeks ago we were here for Oran’s father Paddy and 16 years ago you had the death of young Rachael.
Oran McConville, 18, was killed in a car smash when he was in the front passenger seat in the early hours of Saturday morning. Pictured: Oran, with his father
Oran McConville, 18, was killed in a car smash when he was in the front passenger seat in the early hours of Saturday morning
A talented footballer, he found fame as a child when his school choir took part in the 2017 series of the ITV competition, reaching the semi-finals
‘At this time we are all lost for words. Words are woefully inadequate to express the pain and the sorrow in our hearts that we have for you.’
Oran competed in Britain’s Got Talent with St Patrick’s Primary School choir in the year pianist Tokio Myers won the gong.
Singing Keane’s Somewhere Only We Know in their audition, they stunned the judges, with Simon Cowell saying: ‘You are having a good time, and that is the most important thing. That was a great audition.’
Speaking about the experience, Fr Byrne continued: ‘This was a very enjoyable time for Oran and for his friends at the school.
‘He was a natural performer and years later was able to look back on those times with fun and laughter.
‘His love of music continued to grow. He leant to play the guitar, loved going to concerts.’
The youngest of three children, he was described as the ‘baby of the family… who got away with more mischief than most’. Fr Byrne added: ‘With a smile like his, who could be cross for long.’
He said that he looked up to his older brother Shea as a ‘hero’ and they had an ‘unbreakable bond’.
In 2017, Amanda wrote a ‘spiritual’ book about Rachael’s death titled ‘My Beautiful Daughter, My Beautiful Friend’, following the family’s journey through grief.
The youngest of three children, he was described as the ‘baby of the family… who got away with more mischief than most’
Colleagues at Milestone petrol station, where his mother also works, said that he was ‘full of talent, kindness, and an infectious positivity’
Colleagues at Milestone petrol station, where his mother also works, said that he was ‘full of talent, kindness, and an infectious positivity’.
Drumgath GAC, the Gaelic Athletics club where he had played since he was a boy and later coached at, said: ‘Órán was so much more than a young man- he was a bright light in our community. Kind, gentle, full of humour, and always up for a chat, Órán had that rare ability to make everyone feel at ease in his company.
‘He had time for people, young and old, and brought joy to those lucky enough to have known him. Whether it was on the football pitch or in the heart of the community, Órán carried himself with warmth, respect, and quiet charm.’
Police were called to an incident at 2am on Saturday where it was reported a grey Volkswagen Golf had been involved in a collision.
The passenger in the front seat was pronounced death at the scene and the driver, aged 18, was arrested.
Paying tribute, Fr Byrne said: ‘Underneath all the laughter and the mischief, Oran had a softer side too. He loved gazing at the moon and the stars.
‘Through it all, he carried the memories of his deceased sister Rachel and his recently deceased father Paddy deep in his heart.
‘He lived in a way that made them proud every single day with joy, kindness, courage and love.’
Oran’s older sister Rachel died in 2009 after she was knocked down as she walked along a road, when he was just three years old.
Fr Stephen Ferris, who was with Rachael’s family when she died in hospital the following day, said that her death ‘traumatised’ the Northern Irish village.
The siblings’ father Patrick – known as Paddy – died ‘suddenly’ on February 21, with his wife Amanda paying tribute to an ‘amazing husband and father’
Police were called to an incident at 2am on Saturday where it was reported a grey Volkswagen Golf had been involved in a collision
She had also been a ‘very big’ part of her primary school’s choir, with the young singers paying tribute at her funeral.
He told the Belfast Telegraph: ‘Rachael was a happy child. She was intelligent and talented.
‘She loved her family and her friends and she had tremendous potential.
‘She was living life and enjoying it to the full. Her death has traumatised our close-knit, country parish; it has numbed everyone.
In 2017, Amanda wrote a ‘spiritual’ book about Rachael’s death titled ‘My Beautiful Daughter, My Beautiful Friend’, following the family’s journey through grief.
In 2018 she wrote a sequel, titled Rachael’s Rainbow: Never Give Up On Your Dreams, which was followed by Time To Change in 2020.
The siblings’ father Patrick – known as Paddy – died ‘suddenly’ on February 21, with his wife Amanda paying tribute to an ‘amazing husband and father’.
Gaelic Athletic Association Clonduff Gac, paid tribute tribute to Patrick, a former senior footballer they knew as ‘Wee Paddy’.
They said: ‘To Paddy’s wife Amanda, daughter Rachel who pre-deceased him in 2009, sons Shea and Oran, his father Paddy Francis and late mother Kitty, sisters Caroline (Walsh), Katrina (O’Hagan), Josephine (McShane) and brother Aidan and wide family circle, his friends, neighbours and work colleagues we extend our sincerest sympathy. You are all in our thoughts and prayers at this very sad time.
‘Mary Queen of the Gael pray for him. Ár dheis Dé go raibh a anam.’
Drumgath GAC added: ‘Paddy was one of life’s gentlemen. He played for his beloved Clonduff with great distinction up until he moved parishes.
Paddy was a brilliant forward, an integral part of Clonduff teams and also of a St Marks team that won an All-Ireland U16 title. He was known throughout the county for his blistering pace, a trait he duly passed on to his children- Rachael, Shéa and Órán.’
They added: ‘Paddy and Amanda attended all of their children’s games throughout the years supporting, with pride, Rachael, Shéa and Órán. Paddy would always be seen on the stone bank with Amanda by his side at the home games or at the away games, urging the team on and you could always rely on Paddy to have the right score.’
