Hundreds attend vigil held for family injured in M9 crash

Hundreds of people have attended a prayer vigil for four members of a family injured in last weekend's crash on the M9 in Co Kildare. The vigil was held in St Clare's Church in Graiguecullen, Co Carlow. The church was full and some people had to be accommodated in the nearby parish centre, where the vigil was being live-streamed. Three women and a seven-year-old boy were travelling to Dublin Airport when their car collided with a car being driven in the wrong direction down the motorway. They remain in hospital, where they are being treated for serious injuries. A fundraiser for the family had raised more than €675,000 by Friday evening. Tonight's service included a prayer for healing, which involved sharing the flame from one source candle in the church among smaller candles held by those gathered. Watch: The vigil was held in St Clare's Church in Graiguecullen, Co Carlow We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences The Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin Denis Nulty said: "The thing about it is, they could be any one of us on the road from Carlow to catch an early morning flight from Dublin Airport." He said it was "only right that we gather and know how much this gathering will mean" to the affected family. Bishop Nulty said that the community felt "shock" as well as "maybe fear and grief" as it gathered in "solidarity" and support for the family. He said they deserved the prayers offered, "particularly at a time when words fail and indeed when we feel helpless regarding what to do or where to turn to", adding: "It's good to be together". He thanked first responders "who were on the M9 for hours last Sunday". Bishop Nulty added: "We also remember the five boys in the [other] car and that's the Christian thing to do. "They too have heartbroken parents, families and friends, we pray for them this evening." He also urged people to be "careful of our language". "Words can hurt. But they also have the power to heal," he said. "To be careful of our social media posting, what is posted cannot be unposted, to be careful of our commentary." Earlier, Bishop Nulty said that today was a "very tough day for Carlow and the wider area". Father John Dunphy told the vigil that the hearts of the community had been "numb" since Sunday morning, but said "our hearts too went out to" the affected family. "We prayed that they will recover. We knew it would be a long road back. Thankfully, they're on that road and please God, they will make a full recovery." He later told the service that the family had been in contact and thanked everyone for their prayers and support, as well as the emergency services - adding that hospital staff were going "way beyond the call of duty". Fr Dunphy said: "They are absolutely overwhelmed by the support that they've been getting, and it gives them great strength and courage to keep fighting and keep going." Additional reporting: PA