Crash victim’s ‘special bond with his granny’

Jonathan Gribben from Cabra died aged only 23.

Mourners for a 23-year-old farmer who was killed in a tragic road accident have heard that he had such a close link with his granny that he would visit her every night.

The funeral of Jonathan Gribben from Castlewellan Road, Cabra, took place at St Mary’s Church, Cabra yesterday.

He is survived by his parents Eamon and Majella and brother Declan.

Jonathan was a passenger in a one-vehicle collision, which happened near Kilcoo on the Castlewellan Road in Co Down early on Friday.

Fr Charles Byrne noted how popular Jonathan was, as evidenced by the large crowds which lined the street to welcome his remains home and were attending the funeral.

He said how as a young child Jonathan had loved playing with toy tractors and that there was never any doubt the Greenmount graduate would go on to run the farm with his father Eamon.

“There was a very special bond between Jonathan and his granny, who sadly died at the end of March,” said Fr Byrne. “He spent time with her every evening, drinking tea and eating Rich Tea biscuits, sharing with her all that was going on around the area.”

A gentleman called Bernard read a poem, ‘Our Jonathan’, in tribute to the “hard-working” young farmer. It said how he had sat at a place at his grandmother’s table “where nobody else dared to sit”.

The verse struck such a chord with mourners that he was given a standing ovation by the packed chapel.