“If truth be told, Shea’s family, they may never know exactly the true course of events that happened that night in Cork.”
14:41, 03 Jan 2026Updated 14:53, 03 Jan 2026
The body of Shea McCabe from Co Tyrone was recovered from the River Lee on Boxing Day(Image: GoFundMe)
The family and friends of a young Co Tyrone dad, whose body was recovered from a river in Co Cork over Christmas, have been left with “so many questions”, his funeral heard on Saturday.
Dad-of-one, Shea McCabe’s body was recovered from the River Lee on Boxing Day after a nine-day search and rescue operation following reports that someone had entered the water near the Brian Boru Bridge in the early hours of Thursday, December 18.
Gardaí, members of the Coast Guard, Cork City firefighters, the National Ambulance Service, CCMPSR, Mallow Search and Rescue, Irish Search Dogs and Blackwater and Cork Sub Aqua clubs’ recovery teams all played a major role in the search for Shea McCabe as they combed along the river, Lough Mahon and the wider Cork Harbour areas over Christmas using boats, drones, sonar technology and divers.
READ MORE: Heartbreaking tributes flow for ‘wonderful’ young Irishman who died in ‘tragic accident’ in AustraliaREAD MORE: Funeral details for popular boxer Paul McCullagh who died after short illness
Shea was the beloved son of Gerard and the late Bridie (R.I.P); loving brother of Alana, Stacey (McDermott), Andrea and the late Jason (R.I.P); devoted father of Cahán and loving partner of Aislinn; cherished brother in-law of Sean; precious uncle of Gareth, Courtney, Kyran, Céilidh, Kelsey, Sean Óg, Fiónn and Bréa; grandson of the late Charles and Mona McCabe and Michael and Patricia Mills (R.I.P).
A requiem Mass for Shea took place on Saturday in the Church of the Assumption, Pomeroy, followed by burial in the adjoining cemetery.
Fr David Moore told mourners: “Dear friends, your presence here this afternoon in such great numbers is a wonderful sense of support to the extended McCabe and Mills families as they have had a very, very challenging and a very anxious wait.
“And I’m sure it’s been a lonely and a sad Christmas and a New Year. While we all prayed very hard that Shea would be found alive after entering the water. Sadly, our prayers were answered in that his remains were found. But, of course, our eternal wish was that he would have returned home again to his family.”
The priest also acknowledged that Shea’s death is the third tragedy to hit the family in the last two years. His brother Jason died in October 2023 while his mother, Bridie passed away seven months later in May 2024.
He added: “I know that I would speak today on behalf of the entire church gathering, the entire parish, and further afield, that we are truly so, so sorry that grief and pain have touched their family life again. And I hope that you have felt the support and the prayers of us all.
“Things happen in life. Things happen that we just don’t understand. Things that we cannot comprehend. Shea was a young, vibrant man in the absolute prime of his life and then very suddenly, in the blink of an eye, that life was cut short.
“There are so many stages, shock, panic, disbelief, reality, coming home, a wake, and this morning’s requiem mass and when a sudden death like Shea’s occurs, it leaves us with so, so many questions.
“But sadly, there are no answers to those questions. If truth be told, Shea’s family, they may never know exactly the true course of events that happened that night in Cork. Speculation, as you all know, it’s not good and we leave that side of events with the authorities and with An Garda Siochana. Ours is ongoing prayerful support.”
Paying tribute to Shea, Fr Moore said: “Shea was a good lad. He was a down to earth, honest, good lad, a bit of a likeable rogue, in a sense.
“Shea was as a typical young man of his time, he was the life and the soul of any gathering or any party. He had the great knack of jokes, winding people up – skullduggery, as we would say. He enjoyed fun., enjoyed laughing and was so well liked, loved, and admired.
“His life was all too short and he most certainly achieved a lot. His family, his friends, Aisling, his son, his work, And that is how we will want to remember him. And we’ll do everything we possibly can to keep his memory very, very strong and very alive.
“If we’ve learned anything from these last weeks, It is the fact that life is very fragile. And these are very delicate days for a family. Be gentle with yourselves. Don’t think too far ahead and just take one day at a time.”
The family have also set up a GoFundMe to assist with repatriating Shea’s body to Pomeroy, to assist with funeral expenses and to support his three-year-old son, Cahan, which has garnered more than £26,000 in donations.
Posting on the GoFundMe page, Shea’s sister Stacey said that they are “heartbroken” by their latest loss.
“We are heartbroken to share that our beloved Shea McCabe has sadly passed away. A freak accident turned into our worst nightmare, his body was lovingly recovered thanks to the incredible efforts of the rescue services in Cork. We are deeply grateful to every person involved in bringing him back to us,” she said.
“Shea’s body now needs to be brought home from Cork to Pomeroy, and we want nothing more than to lay him to rest with dignity and love. The costs of transport and funeral arrangements have placed a heavy financial burden on the family at a time when we are already struggling with overwhelming grief.
“This tragedy comes after an incredibly difficult period for the family. Our family lost Shea’s brother Jason in October 2023 and our mother just 7 months later in May 2024. Coping with so much loss in such a short space of time has been unbearable for our family
“We are asking for support to help cover transporting Shea home to Pomeroy, funeral and burial expenses, the family also want to give back to the Cork search and rescue team and to support for his beautiful son Cahan (aged 3)
“Any donation, no matter how small, will help ease the financial pressure so our family can focus on grieving and honouring Shea’s memory. If you are unable to donate, please keep Shea and our family in your thoughts and prayers and share this page.
“Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your kindness, support, and compassion.”
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.