The first funeral of the five male teenagers killed in the M9 crash last weekend has taken place. Joe Carthy (15) was the youngest of the five who died when a BMW car, driven the wrong way down the motorway, crashed into an oncoming car on the M9 in Co Kildare on Sunday morning. His funeral took place at St Michael’s Church, Athy, on Friday morning. The rip.ie notice for the funeral was taken down on Monday as a result of comments posted in the condolence sections which were deemed inappropriate by the family. There was a large Garda presence and the public order unit was present for the funeral, but it passed off without incident. Despite there being no public notice for the funeral, a large crowd turned out for the Mass. A makeshift shrine for teenager Joe Carthy (15) at St Michael's Church in Athy. Photograph: Ronan McGreevy The entrance to the church was decorated with a blue velvet carpet fringed by large gold-coloured pedestals which were filled with white carnations. A blue velvet curtain was placed at the entrance to the church along with gold-coloured ornamental frames. On both sides of the carpet were large blue-framed memorial boards with photographs of Carthy and the words: “much loved brother” and “in memory of a special brother”.A large screen was erected outside the church on which were displayed videos and photographs from Carthy’s life, including images of him in his boxing gear. The funeral cortege for Joe Carthy. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA Wire There was also a small altar-like structure covered in blue velvet upon which stood a picture of Carthy as a young child. The funeral was due to start at 11am, but the horse-drawn white hearse with feathered plumes, driven through the streets of Athy, arrived at 11.30am. Many of the mourners wore custom-made T-shirts with the words “rest in peace Joey” on them. The white coffin was brought into the church by a number of mourners. There was a heavy Garda presence at the funeral of Joe Carthy (15) on Friday in Athy. Photograph: Ronan McGreevy Parish priest Fr Francis McCarthy extended “sincere sympathy to Joe’s family”, adding, “We gather with sorrow in our hearts.”In his short sermon he recalled Carthy’s love of boxing, horses and fishing. He did not make reference in the sermon to the circumstances of the crash that killed the five teenagers and left four members of a Co Carlow family injured. The second funeral of the five who died takes place in Carlow on Friday afternoon. That funeral will be of his cousin Alex McCarthy.