‘The best son, brother and boyfriend any of us could ever wish for,’ hears funeral of Cork motorcyclist Paul Harrington

Mr Harrington, who was in his 20s, died in a collision in Ballinahina, White’s Cross in Co Cork on Tuesday evening when his motorbike was involved in a collision with a van.

A large crowd gathered in the North Cathedral this morning to pay tribute to Mr Harrington. His father, Declan, described the attendance as “a testament to how high Paul was held”.

His father painted a moving picture of a beloved young man with a good sense of humour, a passion for “anything with an engine” and great love for his sisters and girlfriend.

Mr Harrington described his son as a "loving and caring child” whose senior infants teacher told his parents that he volunteered to take on the role of Mary in the nativity when none of the other boys in the class could be convinced.

"At another parent teacher meeting, his teacher remarked that he always looked out for his younger cousins,” he said.

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"She would see him seek them out in the yard or stop them in the corridor and ask if they were okay. He told them to come find him if they ever needed any help with anything.”

Mr Harrington told how his son had an “obsession” with Thomas the Tank Engine as a child, spending hours making intricate tracks that "gave him his future love of cars, bikes, boats and anything with an engine”.

As father and son, they travelled to the O2 Arena in London when the wrestlers he would watch on TV arrived, another one of his passions that left him “in awe” to see for himself as a young boy.

"On the way out, he said: ‘Dad, that was the best day of my life’.”

He played rugby for his school and his father remembered how proud he was of his son when the team won the Junior Cup in Thomond Park.

"I remember the day well. I felt so proud of him and the hairs on my neck stood up as he ran out to the pitch,” he said.

“He forged many great friendship with a great group of lads – all of whom are today here for him – and many a Saturday night was spent around our kitchen table, it became their local. Playing cards and listening to Christy Moore.”

Mourners heard how protective Mr Harrington was of his sisters, with his father describing him as the "kindest, most gentle and generous brother, relentless in his support for them and an unwavering figure of love and compassion”.

His mother called him ‘son-shine’ – which “started years of banter” in the family – as “he was her sunshine and he could do no wrong in her eyes”.

“In his late teens and early 20s, his love of tattoos began… much to his mother’s annoyance. Needless to say, tattoos are not her thing,” his father said.

"Every time he came home with a new one, he would proudly lift his sleeve up and show her, and her reply was always the same: ‘You have enough now, can’t you stop there’. He filled one arm and then started on the next arm.

"And to quieten his mother’s giving out, one day he came home and said, ‘Mam, this one is for you.’ He pulled up his sleeve and showed her a new tattoo that said ‘I love me Mam’. He kept his Cork slang in there as he loved the joke.”

He met “the love of his life”, his girlfriend Kamile, around five years ago and the pair were busy making plans to settle down and buy a house, Mr Harrington said.

"Himself and Kamile were like peas in a pod, so happy and easy-going together. Only last Saturday, Paul was upgrading the fuse board in the new house. It took all day and Kamile was by his side, handing him tools, asking him questions with a bit of banter along the way.

"I remember standing there thinking that day, amongst others, how good they were together and that they really found such a perfect match in each other.”

He also made a “lasting impression with his warm, friendly personality” on his work colleagues.

“Most of you here today would have known Paul as a nephew, a cousin, a friend, a teammate or a work colleague but at home, we knew him as the best son, brother and boyfriend any of us could ever wish for. Kind, loving, always in a good mood with a smile,” Mr Harrington said.

"Paul, you will be missed, loved and talked about. And until we meet again ‘son-shine’, you really were the light of all our lives.”

During the service, a word of thanks was paid to all those who have supported the family in recent days, including neighbours and the emergency services.

In his death notice, Mr Harrington is remembered as the “beloved son of Declan and Margaret (née O'Connell), loving brother of Olivia and Deirdre,” who will be “sadly missed by his heartbroken parents, sisters, girlfriend Kamile, aunts, uncles, cousins, relatives and a large circle of friends”.