Kennedy Family Gathers at Saoirse Kennedy Hill's Funeral

The Kennedy family are paying their final respects to Saoirse Kennedy Hill.

The granddaughter of the late Robert F. Kennedy died last week at 22, and her family gathered for her funeral at Our Lady of Victory Church in Centerville, Massachusetts, on Monday. The funeral program included a photo of Saoirse smiling for the camera while on a sailboat. In another image, she's smiling after coming out of the water. The image was accompanied by an Irish poem in her honor.

"When Saoirse's eyes are smiling, sure, 'tis like the morn in Spring. In the lilt of Irish laughter you can hear the angels sing. When Irish hearts are happy, All the world seems bright and gay. And when Saoirse's eyes are smiling, sure, they steal your heart away," reads the poem.

Saoirse Roisin Kennedy Hill
DAVID L RYAN/THE BOSTON GLOBE/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Saoirse Kennedy Hill
DAVID L RYAN/THE BOSTON GLOBE/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Among Saoirse's family members at the service were her parents, Courtney Kennedy Hill and Paul Michael Hill, as well as her grandmother, Ethel Kennedy. After the funeral, several of the Kennedys were seen returning by boat to the family's compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.

The funeral service was reportedly followed by a private burial service for Saoirse's close family members.

Last Thursday, a spokesperson for the Hyannis Fire Captain told ET that they responded to an emergency call to 28 Marchant Avenue just after 2 p.m. According to authorities, the call was considered a "priority one medical call," which is the highest level of emergency. Saoirse was pronounced dead after being transported to Cape Cod Hospital.

In a statement to ET, the Kennedy family expressed their heartbreak while confirming Saoirse's death.

"Our hearts are shattered by the loss of our beloved Saoirse. Her life was filled with hope, promise and love. She cared deeply about friends and family, especially her mother Courtney, her father Paul, her stepmother Stephanie, and her grandmother Ethel, who said, 'The world is a little less beautiful today,'" reads the statement. "She lit up our lives with her love, her peals of laughter and her generous spirit. Saoirse was passionately moved by the causes of human rights and women’s empowerment and found great joy in volunteer work, working alongside indigenous communities to build schools in Mexico. We will love her and miss her forever."

At the time of her tragic death, Saoirse was enrolled at Boston College, where she was majoring in communications.

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