The brother of a young Banbridge man who passed away at the weekend has bravely told mourners that the 21-year-old had given “multiple families hope” through the donation of his organs after his untimely death.
Taylor Hill, of Rowanvale, passed away in the intensive care unit of Craigavon Area Hospital on Saturday morning.
St Thérèse’s Church, on the Scarva Road in Banbridge, was filled to capacity on Wednesday afternoon, as family and friends remembered a popular young man who excelled at sports and had brought so much joy into the lives of all lucky and privileged enough to have known him.
Mourners were led by Taylor’s heartbroken parents, Rory and Anna, brothers Cathal, Conál and Ollie, grandparents, Kenny and Patricia McGrath and George and Geraldine Hill, as well as his aunts, uncles and cousins.
Outside the church, club-mates from his beloved Clann na Banna CLG formed a guard of honour ahead of a beautiful and most fitting Requien Mass, which was celebrated by Canon Liam Stevenson, assisted by Parish Deacon, Rev Michael Rooney, and Fr Aidan McGrath, of the Franciscan Friars in Dublin, a native of Banbridge and cousin of the McGrath family.
Taylor’s father, Rory, and brother Cathal, delivered a eulogy in which they remembered a son and sibling who gave so much in his all-too-short life and even more upon his passing.
Cathal bravely told how his big brother’s “true passion” was gaelic and his club, Clann na Banna, forming “unbreakable bonds” with his team-mates, with whom he had played from a very young age.
The team was so good, he said, that from Under 8s to Under 10, they won multiple tournaments across Down, and continued to rack up trophies until Under 16s. A large number of the team had moved up to senior level and eventually got promoted to Division 2 last year.
“As recently as last week, Taylor played in a match to help keep them in Division 2,” said Cathal, which made the events of the past week “even harder to understand”.
But the family have taken comfort from their son and brother’s greatest gift.
As Cathal related: “Sitting waiting in the hospital, I mentioned the point of donating the organs. We were told that Taylor was too unstable and that he wouldn’t be able to donate. But by some miracle, he stayed strong and stabilised later that day.
“It just meant that, in our darkest hour, Taylor was able to provide multiple families with hope. We always knew Taylor had a strong heart and it was proven true as it went on to save someone’s life that was in emergency surgery.
“My mum, my dad, myself, Conál and Ollie all couldn’t be more proud of Taylor, but we just regret that he couldn’t get through his recent troubles and back to his old self.”
Cathal and his siblings, as with Taylor’s teammates, also shared an unbreakable bond.
“Us brothers, all knew Taylor would have done anything for us,” he added. “There may have been the odd argument or fight but nothing tore us apart.”
“ I hope to remember all the good times with Taylor,” he said. “His smile, how funny he was, how caring he was and just how many people thought the world of him. It brings me some comfort to know now that any torture and trouble Taylor was going through are now gone and he gets to rest in peace.”
Thanking everyone for their love and support through such a difficult time, he appealed to all those gathered: “I hope in these days, you just will hug your kids, your parents, your siblings, your partners, your friends, all a bit tighter, as life moves so quickly and you never know what’s going on in anyone’s head.
“Taylor will be forever young, forever be loved, forever in our hearts. Love you Taylor, we’re going to miss you.”
Taylor had attended St Mary’s Primary School in Banbridge before moving to St Colman’s College in Newry, and later the University of Ulster, where he was to study finance.
School friends, teachers and colleagues were among those who travelled to the town and St Thérèse’s to say their own goodbyes.
Dad Rory, in whose footsteps Taylor had followed in playing for Clann na Banna, spoke of how proud he was of his wife and sons for the strength they had shown since their immense loss.
And he thanked everyone for coming along to the Mass, and for their “support and prayers in this tough time”, adding: “It goes to show how special Banbridge and this town and community is.”
Recalling how he and Anna were blessed by the birth of Taylor, on November 19, 2004, he went on to describe a son who had “the happiest of childhoods”.
“As we were young parents, we received a lot of support, from grandparents, uncles, aunts, and close friends, each of them getting to experience the joy of having a young life, our young child in their life, and each of them becoming significant figures in his life,” said Rory. “Taylor was a brilliant child. He was loved by everybody.”
He spoke of Taylor’s journey and how he “achieved so much joy” through primary school, both academically and through sports.
“He played in Gaelic and football teams and excelled at the cross-country,” said the proud dad. “However, his biggest achievement was the connections he made with his school friends, that stay strong till this day and will do for the years to come.”
Taylor had enjoyed going to St Colman’s College, getting the bus each day, making friends and performing well.
He took up his first job at Campbells EuroSpar, and later in the warehouse of United Wines. All of his colleagues “seemed to think the world of him”.
And after attending university, Taylor had most recenty worked with an estimator and was excelling in his job, spending 18 happy months there.
On the sporting front, he also excelled; in addition to Gaelic, in his early years, he had played for the 2004 Banbridge Town Juniors team, and had been a member of Banbridge Amateur Swimming Club too, which was a “key part of his childhood”.
Above all, Taylor was one who “took everything in his stride” when he was young, who had a great sense of humour and achieved so much in life.
“Taylor loved the craic,” his dad added, “and, if he’d seen all this here, he would be thinking what was it all about? But once we say goodbye, don’t be afraid to remember the good times. He could probably write a book of what he lived in his 21 years.”
Earlier in the Mass, gifts brought to the altar reflected Taylor’s sporting passions and prowess – the red and black ‘number 5′ jersey of Clann na Banna, a football, boots and pictures, including a team photograph of the club of which he was so proud.
Canon Liam Stevenson – who had also highlighted Taylor’s many school, sporting and worklife achievements during his homily – had begun the celebration of his life by recalling the hours leading up to his passing and the devastation that brought followed by the support that had been shown to his family.
“The family and friends of Taylor Hill were shocked to hear last week that he was fighting for his life in Craigavon Area Hospital,” said Canon Stevenson. “There was widespread shock and dismay.
“ This sense of disbelief was intensified on Saturday morning, when news of his untimely death circulated around the family, friends and the entire Banbridge community. This numbness has continued and is continuing now at his funeral Mass here in St Thérèse’s Chapel in this Seapatrick Parish.
“The death of any person is an upset for the family, but the death of someone of only 21 years old, in the prime of his life, is truly shocking and upsetting for the family and the wider community here in this town.
“I worked in this Parish for 18 years as Parish Priest, from the year 2000, and I know the great sense of outpouring of grief and empathy at the various funerals I celebrated in that time.
“I’m glad to notice and record that great concern, fellowship, and support is still a very strong hallmark of this growing parish community. Hundreds of people attended the wake, and there are many more hundreds of mourners at this funeral Mass today.”
The celebrant described Taylor as one who was “always the big brother and a big cousin and a good role model”, who was “very quick-witted and could light up a room”, with a “big smile and outgoing personality”.
And turning to the family’s “beautiful” choice of a reading from St Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, it was, said Canon Stevenson, one which “enshrined the qualities of the great virtue of love”.
“Love is patient, love is kind, love never ends. The greatest virtue is love,” he said. “This captures the essence of the Hill and the McGrath families for their own children and their grandchildren. It captures the love of Rory and Anna for their four boys and their love for their parents. It also reflects the boys’ love for each other and for their grandparents, uncles and aunts.”
“What we can do today,” added Canon Stevenson, “is to feel sorry for all those mourning the loss of Taylor. I ask the relatives and friends of Taylor to ask the good Lord today for comfort, for understanding, for support and for peace of mind, as they struggle with regret, loss, and bewilderment at the untimely death of a much-loved brother, son, grandson and friend.”
During the course of the Requiem Mass, the Uplifted Gospel Choir, from Newry, with members of Taylor’s family among its number, sang beautifully.
Then, as the Mass concluded, and Taylor was taken to his place of rest in St Patrick’s Cemetery, it was the perfect refrain which accompanied him on that short, final journey, all departing to the words of Rod Stewart and the timeless ‘Forever Young’.
