The funeral mass for Dylan Commins took place in Ardee, Co Louth, today while mourners also gathered in Drumcondrath in Co Meath for the funeral of Alan McCluskey.
The two men were among five young friends who died in a car crash in Co Louth last weekend.
Dylan Commins' funeral mass heard that his "dreams were cut heartbreakingly short, alongside the lives of his friends" and that "nothing will ever be the same again".
Dylan Commins from Ardee in Co Louth was travelling with his friends in a Volkswagen Golf to Dundalk for a night out last Saturday when the car crashed.
His friends Alan McCluskey, 23, from Drumconrath in Co Meath; Chloe McGee, 23, from Carrickmacross in Co Monaghan; Shay Duffy, 21, from Carrickmacross in Co Monaghan; and Chloe Hipson, 21, from Bellshill, Lanarkshire, Scotland, also died.
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A sixth young man, who was also in the same car, was taken to hospital where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Two occupants of a second vehicle, a man and woman in their 20s, were also taken to hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
Lauren Commins, the sister of Dylan Commins, delivered a eulogy following Mr Commins' funeral mass at the Church of the Nativity of Our Lady in Ardee, Co Louth this afternoon.
She told the congregation that her brother's journey had been "wild, bright and unforgettable".
Symbols of Mr Commins' life brought to the altar represented the thriving automotive business that he had built along with his love for the Milverton Motorcross club.
His family was represented in a photograph, while a customised number plate was a sign of the strong friendships he had built during his life.
The Chief Celebrant of the funeral mass, Father Francesco Campiello, the Curate of the Parish of Ardee and Collon, said that Mr Commins was "constantly moving".
"From one sport to the other, from one job to the other, from Ireland to Australia and back. Dylan's life represents very well this restlessness, which deep down is the desire for a full and meaningful life," he said.
Mr Commins' sister Lauren told of a brother who brought "light, laughter and adventure into all our lives".
He was described as adventurous and someone whose life began to flourish after school.
Ms Commins said that cars were "the great love of his life".
She said he had returned home after ten months in Australia where he had worked in the mines and set up his own transport and recovery business, Coole Automotive.
The funeral heard of Mr Commins’ ambition and plans for the future.
"He had big plans - bigger than most people his age.
"He talked about becoming a millionaire, and if life had given him the time, he absolutely would have made it happen.
"But on 15 November, those dreams were cut heartbreakingly short, alongside the lives of his friends. And nothing will ever be the same again."
Ms Commins said her brother had "lived quickly, loved deeply, and laughed loudly".
"He left an imprint on everyone he met - through his friendship, his mischief, his kindness, and his unstoppable determination.
"Though his life was far too short, it was packed with adventure, with bravery, with joy, and with the love of family and friends who adored him.
"Today, we don’t just mourn the life we lost - we honour the life he lived."
Final prayers were delivered by Bishop Michael Router, the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Armagh.
He said the sudden and heartbreaking loss of Dylan, together with Chloe McGee, Chloe Hipson, Alan McCluskey and Shay Duffy "had left communities across this region and indeed across the whole country shocked and grieving".
He said the presence of President Catherine Connolly acknowledges that fact.
"None of us can easily comprehend the scale of what has happened.
"All we can do is hold Dylan and each of his young friends in the embrace of our prayers" and commend them to the eternal mercy of God," he said.
'Always on lookout for his friends' - mourners told of Louth crash victim's caring nature
Hundreds of people gathered in Drumconrath in Co Meath for the funeral of Alan McCluskey, one of the five young friends who died in a car crash.
Mourners were told that there is "incomprehension" at the death of Mr McCluskey, who was a "caring" friend and farm worker.
The congregation was told that Mr McCluskey had many varied interests.
"He was a man who knew how to enjoy himself, which is important too, in life," Local parish priest Fr Finian Connaughton told mourners.
Fr Connaughton said that he was holding a baptism ceremony in the church as the "horrible news" of the crash was breaking last Sunday.
He said that he baptised Mr McCluskey, and was there for his First Communion and Confirmation.
He said the sense of disappointment and loss at his death was "beyond words".
The community had gathered in grief, anger and confusion, and "carrying a burden that at times, seems unmanageable and almost overwhelming," he said.
"Even as we carry out the funeral rituals, there is still an air of disbelief, incomprehension that this is happening, happening to someone who sat in these benches two Sundays ago, someone we saw driving his van down the street a very short time ago."
For the symbols, Mr McCluskey's parents, Martin and Bernie, brought up photos of the family and of Mr McCluskey with his girlfriend, Ms McGee, to represent "the people he loved most, who shaped him, supported him and meant everything to him", his brother-in-law, Conleth McAlinden, said.
Mr McCluskey's work boots, his hard hat and his favourite tape were brought up to represent "the work that Alan loved so much" and "the passion he had for doing a job well".
A yellow licence plate made by Mr McCluskey's friends represented his love for cars and machinery; his pint glass for "the craic he had with the boys"; and his favourite shirts for nights out were also brought up.
Models of a teleporter, a John Deere and farmyard animals were brought up to represent his love of farming and the work "that brought him so much pride and joy".
An Emirates plane ticket and photos of him travelling showed his love for "experiences and seeing the world", and his drumsticks and some of his records, including those of Luke Combs, ACDC and Christy Moore, represented his love for music and the soundtrack to so many moments in his life.
Fr Connaughton said that Mr McCluskey was religious and attended mass most Sundays.
"Other stories I heard over the past few days show a very caring side to his nature. Ever on the lookout for lads that might be mixing with the wrong company," he said.
"In the house the other morning, I was asking Martin, just trying to pick up bits and pieces I could talk about today. I said to Martin, 'You mentioned something there about looking after lads, what did you mean by that?
"The next thing a young fella from the end of the door said, "he saved me". And I said, "what's the story?". He said, "I was only after starting in secondary school, and I got in with the wrong crowd and was heading in the wrong direction.
"Alan took me aside and said, 'Now you leave those crowd, get yourself sorted out'. "I said 'What age were you then?' 'Fourteen.' 'What age was Alan?' 'Fourteen'." "Even at that stage, on the lookout for his friends."
Ahead of his funeral today, dozens of tractors lined the main street of Drumconrath, and crowds gathered along the streets of the village.
Guards of honour were also provided by the local GAA club and school.
Family members placed their hands on the wooden coffin, bearing a yellow sign with Mr McCluskey's name on it, as it was carried into the packed church.
President Catherine Connolly and several local politicians were among the mourners at St Peter and Paul's Church.
Mr McCluskey was laid to rest in Drumconrath Cemetery.
The funerals of two other victims of the road tragedy will take place in Co Monaghan tomorrow.
Chloe McGee will be laid to rest following a funeral mass at St Joseph's Church in Carrickmacross at 11am.
She was a secondary school woodwork and construction teacher and also the girlfriend of Mr McCluskey.
The funeral mass for Mr Duffy, will take place at 1pm at St Patrick's Church in Rockchapel, Upper Magheracloone in Carrickmacross, followed by burial in the adjoining cemetery.
Mr Duffy had completed his plumbing apprenticeship training in Dundalk Institute of Technology last December.
Earlier in the week, a gathering of family and friends took place in Dundalk in memory of Ms Hipson.
Ms Hipson who was originally from Lanarkshire in Scotland, was a second-year quantity surveying student at DKIT.
Vigils took place at GAA grounds in Louth, Meath and Monaghan during the week to remember all five of the young people who died in the crash.
