Mourners gathered in Co Antrim todayfor the funeral of "a very loving child" who died in a drowning accident on Halloween night.
Family and friends came together at St Joseph's Church in Glenavy for a Mass of the Angels for Jack Irvine, who was four years old.
The youngster, who attended the pre-school at Crumlin Integrated, died on Tuesday night following an accident in the Crumlin area.
The Ambulance Service received an emergency call just after 9pm to report that an unconscious four-year-old had been removed from a garden pond.
A rapid response paramedic attended the scene and with the help of local PSNI transported the boy to Antrim Area Hospital, continuing resuscitation efforts en route.
However, despite the efforts, the child was pronounced dead.
Police also confirmed the death was not being treated as suspicious.
Fr Colm McBride told mourners that Jack had died "before he really had a chance to fly so to speak".
"Today we lay to rest little Jack who will not do any of the things we consider important in our existence, who fell to earth, before he really had a chance to fly so to speak," he said.
"But already he was a very loving child, who loved cuddling up with mum and dad; full of the enthusiasm for the things which filled his life. Loved his toys, Teletubbies and so on at home.
"Already discovering the other good things outside his home which saw him on school mornings wanting to rush ahead to get to nursery and to see his teacher.
"He was an intelligent and inquisitive child. We have Christ’s word that the heavenly Father has seen and recorded all of it".
Fr McBride added: "No life is insignificant or less than another".
"If it can be said that the sea is contained in a drop of water. That within every acorn is an oak tree. So, in the same sense the fullness of human life was contained in this little child.
"Our faith tells us that there was, kindled within him, a spark of the life of God himself which death cannot extinguish.
"We have no fear that Jack is anywhere other than in the care of our heavenly Father. This family is here on earth but now also partly in heaven.
"Let us pray that our presence and our prayer may be a support to you Karen and Eddie and that the Lord will support you with his healing grace and comfort you through the love of your children and family".
Jack Irvine was laid to rest in the adjoining cemetery. He is survived by his parents, Eddie and Karen, and siblings James, Aaron, Harley and Charlie.
