The air outside St Munchin’s Church feels heavy today. It’s that kind of quiet that sticks to you—the smell of damp pavement and wet spring leaves. Family and friends are gathering at Clancy Strand to say a final, painful goodbye to Scarlett Faulkner. She was just 29, a young mum-of-one from Longpavement, and it’s hard to wrap your head around how we got here today. Three weeks ago, everything was normal, and now this.
Scarlett spent that time on life support at Cork University Hospital after suffering catastrophic head injuries. The incident happened on the R494 near Birdhill on March 21—a road many people drive every single day without thinking twice. She passed away this past Monday evening, ending a vigil that her family had kept constant, hoping for some kind of different outcome. But that wasn’t to be, was it?
It’s just… a lot to process. The funeral Mass starts at 11am this morning, and after that, she’ll be laid to rest in Meelick Cemetery. It’s the finality of it that gets you.
Her sister, Victoria, shared a really touching tribute earlier this week. She also passed along a message from their father, asking everyone showing up to the wake and the funeral to put their differences aside. Just focus on Scarlett, he’s saying. Keep the peace, pass each other, and just be there for her. It’s a small, simple request that feels massive given everything else going on in the background—though maybe it shouldn’t be.
Legal proceedings are ongoing, of course. A woman and a 16-year-old girl have been charged in connection with the attack on the R494. The legal side of things will grind on for months, maybe years, but today isn’t about that. Today is just about the family and their loss.
I keep thinking about her little one. It’s the kind of situation where you search for words and realize they don’t really exist. You just show up, stand in the back, and try to be respectful of the space they need. Misryoum will keep following the updates, but for now, the town is just focusing on getting through this morning. Maybe later we’ll look at the broader implications of the case, but today? Today is for the funeral.