BAREFIELD has banded together in grief, despair and devastation with the funerals for Vanessa Whyte and her children James and Sara Rutledge attended by thousands.
From north and south, the people came to remember Vanessa, James and Sara and to sympathise with their heartbroken family. All three were buried together in Templemaley Cemetery.
Agricultural contractor Ian Rutledge, 43, who died on Monday, is understood to be the only suspect in the shooting of his family. Police in Northern Ireland have said a triple murder and attempted suicide was a line of inquiry.
Flying at half mast on Saturday morning outside the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Barefield were the Irish, Clare and Doora/Barefield flags.
Despite a high amount of people in attendance on Saturday morning, a silence descended on Barefield, the ‘unspeakable tragedy’ resulting in the hundreds lining the streets whispering as they listened to the service from afar.
GAA clubs from across Clare, Galway and Fermanagh formed a guard of honour as three hearses carrying the coffins of Vanessa, James and Sara were brought into the church. It was the first time that three coffins were in the church at the one time.
Mourners were asked to wear bright colours and they duly did while the predominant colour was the maroon and white of St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield, a club with which the Whyte family are synonymous. Vanessa’s late father Joe who died in 2016 was part of the first St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield panel to win the Clare senior hurling championship in 1954.
Those in attendance at the funeral included a representative for the Taoiseach Micheal Martin (FF) and GAA president Jarlath Burns. Amazing Grace and Somewhere Over The Rainbow were among the music played during the service.
Vanessa’s sister Regina said they have been robbed of their loved ones. “Vanessa, James and Sara were taken from this world in a cruel and vicious manner – there are no words available to express how this has impacted our family and their friends”.
“We as a family have been robbed of both a relationship with our sister and a chance to see James and Sara grow up, and they have been robbed of the remainder of their lives. It has taken us eleven days to be in a position to have Vanessa, James and Sara back to Clare”.
She said James and Sara were the “focus of her world”. She recalled James’s love of the GAA, playing both hurling and football, and also cricket, adding he has been acknowledged as the “kind, bright, determined teenager we as a family know so well. James’ smile was infectious, and his loyalty was strong,” she said.
Sara was remembered as having a deep love for animals, and aspiring to follow in her mother’s footsteps to become a vet, as well as loving sport. “She was an excellent hurler, a footballer and skilled at netball. She was a team player, a quiet leader, and like every sister, never let James away with anything,” she said.
Vanessa graduated as a Veterinary Surgeon from UCD in 2003. She purchased a donkey with her communion money and upon moving to Northern Ireland began working with Lakelands in Derrygonnell and she soon progressed to work with the Department of Agriculture. A blue card and cattle tags were brought to the altar as symbols of Vannessa’s life, signifying her time devoted as a vet, hardworking, muddy boots, early mornings and dedication.
Her determination was recalled in how she travelled to Croke Park in 1997 without an All-Ireland final ticket but undeterred, eventually secured access to watch her beloved Clare win the Liam McCarthy Cup. She remained a staunch supporter of Clare GAA and was in Croke Park last July as Tony Kelly lifted the Liam MacCarthy as the county were crowned All-Ireland champions for the fifth time. She attended many games of both codes involving Clare all over the country and travelled to the Gaelic Grounds on occasion to watch the county senior footballers in Munster championship action.
Symbols brought forward to reflect the life of fourteen year old James included a hurley while his sense of fun at training often led to extra laps and push-ups but strengthened friendships. Sara was set to follow her mother and was eager to become a veterinary surgeon, a toy cat was brought to the altar to mark her love of animals.
Crusheen native, Bishop Ger Nash, Bishop of Ferns and a family friend, described heartbreak over the “tragic and unspeakable loss of three lives with so much to give to the world”.
Delivering the homily, he said every story and shared memory since their deaths “reminds us of the irreplaceable part they played in the lives of their families, their community, their schools, workplaces, teams and clubs”.
Bishop Nash stated, “The tragic events of last week, and the ripping away of three people from their family and friends leave us searching for answers and coming back again and again to the only answer that is completely true: ‘We don’t know’,” he said.
He noted messages of condolences for the mother and her children including from neighbours, but also many from those who simply described themselves as “A Waterford Mammy”, “A Cork Granny”, and “A Wicklow Mother”.
“There were some with both dads and mams mentioned, but there were many where a woman spoke from her own heart,” he said. “They don’t know you, nor you them, but they know your story, and if they hug their teenagers more tightly and call a ceasefire in the perpetual war about tidy rooms, then they have learned that life is precious, and we must be grateful for every day given to us and to those we love”.
Speaking in Scariff, GAA President Jarlath Burns said, “I heard about it very early on when the names hadn’t even been released, Bernie Fox from Ulster GAA contacted me, she is the safeguarding director and the GAA sent officers, Colin Regan and a few more people up to that community in Fermanagh to try and get them to understand and make sense of it, that is our trauma team and they spent a few days with them, there was just bewilderment and confusion in that area, those children have been so involved in Maguiresbridge, Lisbellaw and in their school and community, they played hurling, camogie, gaelic football and cricket. Vanessa being such an effervescence presence in the community, she was safeguarding officer in that club but today we saw all of those clubs come together to give a beautiful send-off”.
He continued, “There are many occasions that make you feel very proud to be a member of the GAA and today was one of those, seeing those communities come together to support the family. I thought the way the family spoke today, Ivor and Regina with such quite dignity but such determination and love, the way they spoke of the children, although you had three coffins in the chapel which is unprecedented, Regina brought them all to life for those of us that didn’t know them”.
“In the weeks to come when the crowds go, it will be very important for the GAA to be there to support the families, it will fall to the Clare community to do so because that family tragically doesn’t exist in Fermanagh anymore, the communities of Maguiresbridge and Lisbellaw have been left bereft because that family was such an important part of the community,” the President added.
Vanessa is survived by her mother Mary, siblings Geraldine, Regina, Anita, Ivor and Stephen along with her many friends and extended family.
If you have been affected by any of the contents in this article, please contact
Clare Suicide Bereavement Support https://claresuicidebereavementsupport.com/ 086 056 5373 / 087 369 8315. The Samaritans 24 hr free confidential listening service Phone 116 123. Clare Haven Domestic Abuse Servic on their 24hr Confidential Help Line +353 (0)65 6822435
