Sean was ‘the funniest person you’d ever meet’
By Hayden Moore
THE FAMILY of fifteen-year-old Sean “Bowdey” Bowden has remembered him as “the funniest person you’d ever meet” with an “infectious smile that made you smile with him” after he was laid to rest in Bohernabreena Cemetery on Monday, October 22.
The Bowden-Keating family has been overwhelmed with the support of his friends and local community coming together in the wake of Sean’s untimely passing on Friday, October 19.
Sean Bowden
Sean’s brother Conor told The Echo: “The night after the funeral when everything had settled down, his friends brought over some boxes of chocolates for us… and they sat here in our sitting room talking for hours and sharing stories about Sean, it was beautiful.”
After his shock diagnoses of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia in March last year, brave Sean got meningitis a month later and a series of other complications but by January the Leukaemia had gone into remission.
As Sean’s health impoved over the following months he was able to visit Anfield to see his beloved Liverpool, and start back in Tallaght Community School in September.
“Two day’s after he started back, we brought Sean to Our Lady’s [Children’s Hospital, Crumlin] with a cough and we where told that the Leukaemia was back and that he’d need a number of treatments” said Sean’s mother Ann.
Ann spoke about her son affectionately admitting “he had us wrapped around his little finger” and that they were told by the nurses of Crumlin Hospital that “people would never know as much happiness that Sean knew in his 15 years”.
“He was always happy and wanted to be a doctor or a nurse to be able to help the other sick children in the ward.
“He wanted to go travelling, and actually he told Mick [Sean’s dad] that when he had his own kids that he was going to be a dad just like him”, Ann reminisced.
Orlaith, Conor’s partner, fondly recalled Sean’s cheeky smile saying “he was so cute and kind, and when he smiled – he smiled with his entire face” while his dad Michael told us that “he’d get away with anything with that smile, he’s left a big hole behind”.
St Aengus Church
Mourners from all over the country filled St Aengus Church on Monday (October 22) to show their respects to the family, while his friends brought a number of gifts up to the altar including his Dublin jersey, a sliotar, his famous North Face and Hugo Boss hats, a photo of Sean, his Liverpool scarf, Eminem CD, iPhone X and a memory book.
Tallaght Community School created a memory book for Sean after he relapsed and following his passing they opened up the school on Saturday for friends and family, and kept it closed for the funeral two days later.
Chief celebrant Fr Ben Moran remembered Sean for his love of music, hurling with St Marks and his phone, “which he valued greatly and made great use of”.
Aly Alesopp, Sean’s tutor and English teacher gave a graceful reading of ‘When You Are Old’ by William Butler Yates, a poem which he loved.
This was followed by a reading from TCS school chaplain, Aisling Reigh.
Ms Reigh summed up the impact that Sean had on the people around him by quoting Winnie the Pooh saying “if there ever comes a day when we can’t be together, keep me in your heart, I’ll be there forever”.
St Mark’s GAA club and Tallaght Community School formed a guard of honour following his removal from the Balrothery Church, and was proceeded by his burial alongside his grandparent’s Kathleen and Jimmy Keating in Bohernabreena.
