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06 Sept 2025

'Still speechless'- Emotional funeral held for young man (18) who died tragically

RIP: Matt Sibanda (18) drowned alongside his friend three weeks ago in Donegal

'Still speechless'- Emotional funeral held for young man (18) who died tragically

Emotional funeral held for young man (18) who died tragically

The requiem mass of 18-year-old Matt Sibanda took place in Donegal on the morning of Saturday May 31.

Matt is the second teenager who drowned in Lough Swilly on May 10 and was paid tribute at his funeral by a large mass of people.

Matt's family, friends and community are still in shock and are left devastated at the tragedy that occurred to the two man who is gone but never forgotten.

The young man drowned along with his 16-year-old friend Emmanuel Familola after they both got into difficulty while swimming in the lake.

His funeral was attended by a large number of people who all came together to mourn the loss of a young life taken so suddenly and tragically.

Representatives of the emergency services, An Garda Síochána, the RNLI, the Coastguard, and the Ambulance Service were in attendance at the funeral, according to a report by RTE.

"Though his life was far too short, Matt left us with memories and moments that will live on forever. He may no longer walk beside us, but he lives in our hearts in his gentle smile, in his respectful words, in the quiet strength of his presence," Father Bradley said at the funeral.

"We are all struggling still to come to terms with the loss, still speechless at the suddenness of it, still heartbroken at the enormity of it. While the world has moved on in some respects, we are nevertheless still numbed by the sadness of what happened," Father Bradley said at the funeral.

READ NEXT: RIP: Tragic death of young man shook the nation as countless messages flood in

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