Sebastian McHUGH

Our beautiful boy Sebastian Benner McHUGH (Seb to his friends) died on Friday 11 August 2023 at the age of 19. Treasured son of David and Tanya (Benner) and adored brother of Alex and Lulu.

 

He will be missed terribly by his family and millions of friends, including his grandmothers, Irene and Emer, his aunts and uncles Paddy & Karen (McHugh) Swan, Killian & Tara (McHugh) Fitzpatrick, Stephen & Angela McHugh, Kieron & Nicole (Benner) Murphy, Niall & Leisa (Benner) McFadden, Johnnie & Jane Benner and his first cousins, James, Charlie, Katie, Joey, Lola, Max, Ben and baby Kitty (in heaven), Richard, Andrew, Tanya, Josh, Kaya, Benjamin, Emma, Sam and Harry.

 

Funeral arrangements below.

 

Sebastian was a force of nature. His beautiful genuine smile lit up any room. He was hilarious, full of quips and accents and ribbing, and he would leave everyone around him in tears of laughter. Seb really laughed a lot. Somehow he managed to be effortlessly cool in his yellow jacket, hoodie and Gonzaga shorts with his unruly mop of golden hair! He was incredibly intelligent but wore it lightly. His quest for knowledge was extraordinary. He loved to chat and discuss anything from the banal to the most esoteric.

 

He loved his sports and was naturally gifted at most of them. When he was tiny in Willow and Wanderers he was a demon tackler in rugby and unafraid to take down any size. He commanded central defence when playing in Granada. He didn’t care whether he was first team or third team, it was taking part fully and sharing it with his friends that mattered.

 

Sebastian really really wanted to see the world and grab it fearlessly with both hands! He was fascinated by faraway places and wanted to taste them all. He adored his impromptu trip last year to Bali even though we were terrified.

 

More recently his passion became sailing and he had the best time of his life in the INSS becoming an instructor and teaching young kids. But it was the gorgeous friends he made there that gave him such happiness. Our playroom became their headquarters and it was a true place of joy and laughter for so many weekends.

 

Equally he adored everything about Willow and Gonzaga. The ethos in Gonzaga really appealed to him and he honestly was a man for others. He had exceptional friends in both these schools and he absolutely loved them. Our back garden was filled each year on his birthday with bouncy castles and tip rugby with his classmates. Beautiful sounds of happiness and fun.

 

As parents we have been blessed with three inspirational children and our three musketeers did everything together; from skiing to mountaineering; from Minecraft to Nintendo; from maths quizzes to Monopoly and Risk; and long conversations about anything and everything around the kitchen table. We are so proud of Alex, Sebastian and Lulu, each one unique but perfect and they will always be our true joy. Sebastian was utterly unique, a hilarious, intelligent, cool, wild and untamed bundle of energy.

 

We are so proud to be his parents and to have been able to love him and be loved back by him.

 

Mass in celebration of Sebastian’s life will take place on Thursday, 17th August, at 11.00 am in Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Foxrock followed by private family cremation.

 

For those who wish to follow the Mass online please see the following link: https://foxrockparish.ie/webcam/

 

Sebastian’s funeral will be a celebration of his colourful life so please wear whatever makes you feel comfortable and happy.

 

Family flowers only please. Donation in lieu to Pieta House. Family house private.