‘We’re not going to say we’ll get over his loss, because we won’t’: Mick Wallace and family pay tribute at funeral of youngest son Joe

Former MEP Mick Wallace has said his family will never recover from the loss of his son Joe, at his funeral mass in Dublin on Saturday.

Joseph (Joe) Barry Wallace (30), who died in Tallaght hospital on Thursday after falling ill last weekend, was described as sensitive, considerate and caring person and also and a wild man ‘in the best way possible’ at the funeral service in Mount Jerome in Dublin

He had undergone surgery on a brain tumour last year and had recovered well, but another tumour was discovered in recent weeks.

He began suffering headaches while at the Beyond the Pale festival in Glendalough and was later rushed to hospital where he lost consciousness and it was established that he had a bleed on his brain.

Mick said that he and Joe loved attending football together and they were supposed to be in Berlin to watch the Italy and Switzerland game together says but it wasn’t to be.

“I think it is important to say we have no illusions, we’re not going to say we’re going to recover from the loss because we won’t.

“We’re not going to say we’ll get over his loss because we won’t but we have to cope and cope we will.

“Where we get the strength to do it, I don’t know but we’ll get it somewhere.

“All you people here and the support up give us is part of what will help us to cope thanks very much everybody.”

Joe previously played Wexford Youths, the League of Ireland football team now known as Wexford FC, which had been set up by his father.

Mourners at the funeral included his father Mick, mother Patricia and siblings Gráinne, Fionn and Sasha, his girlfriend Rhianna.

His friends and family talked of his love for football, food, music and friendship and how so many of his friends considered him to be their best friend.

At the service, Mick Wallace said family and friends will all use their memories of Joe to sustain them in the days and years ahead.

His brother Sasha, who was with Joe when he took ill at the Beyond the Pale festival in Wicklow, said Joe was his little brother but he looked up to him so much.

“We went to Beyond the Pale last Friday full of excitement about the weekend.

"He gave me a big hug and helped me set up tents in the rain. I had no idea that was the last time I would get to hug him.

“I’m just going to miss him so much.”

His brother Fionn described him as “intelligent, sharp and darkly funny”.

“Joe died fighting against what was trying to kill him as hard as he possible could. He died a free man.”

He said he could be so calm and engaged and considerate and was a wild man, in the best way possible.

“There were too many thing about Joe that were beautiful and made you want to spend time with him and work with him and eat and drink with him and even get slagged by him

“It’s hard to believe what has happened has happened

“He was only here for 30 years but its still possible to say about Joe that he lived a full life. He didn’t do stuff by half.”

His sister Gráinne spoke of so many memories she and Joe shared around their kitchen table.

“The breakfast table was were you discussed the most serious of dilemmas.. and also a place where we laughed at our stories from our night out the night before.

"You taught me so much around that table.

Numerous friends paid tribute to Joe talking about how Joe would always invite his friends around and was the first of them to hold host parties in their teenager while his mother.

His friend Ben talked about how Joe regularly got friends together whether it was to house parties or gigs or trips aboard.

“Every year he would bring friends over to the vineyard in Italy for what he would call laid-back son holiday.

"Unbeknownst to us Mick would have us slaving away in the vines,” he said.

Another friend Phil told how Joe got 25 people together to travel to Brussels for his 30th saying only someone like Joe could convince so many people to spend a weekend in a place as boring as Brussels.

His friends also joked about how Joe started on construction sites at a very young age which they wouldn’t reveal for legal reasons.

Mick responded saying he would like to “refute all the slave labour jibes” before saying his biggest regret was that he didn’t start him earlier.

“Joseph was a later starter. He was 13,” he said to laughs from the crowd.

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