Mr. Colin Bell:

It is so important, and I believe this is an Irish trait, to get one's loved one home as quickly as possible. The longer it takes, the less chance one has of seeing the loved one and getting some type of closure. If it takes over two weeks, the chances of having an open coffin are very poor. I am aware of that myself. We were so lucky. Kevin was killed on the Sunday morning. My wife Eithne's cousin, Neasa Ní Dhomhnaill, lived in Manhattan. She knew many people and would not take "No" for an answer. His post mortem took place on Sunday afternoon. He was with the Armagh Gaelic team and its members drove her to every office that had to be visited. She would not leave each office until she got what she wanted. Kevin was brought home on an airplane on Tuesday night and was in our house on Wednesday morning, which was three days later. The relief to his mother of being able to hold his hand, the sense of calm and the sense that he was home and safe were just amazing. If a family does not have that, it is an awful loss.