‘Our gorgeous girls have been taken from us’
The 15-year-old girls lost their lives in a horror car crash at the weekend as they made their way home from a disco.
Leanne Miller was killed instantly and Robyn O’Riordan died later at the Mid Western Regional Hospital.
Leanne’s mum, Louise Miller and Robyn’s dad, Ben O’Riordan, met when the girls were growing up. The girls regarded themselves as sisters.
Robyn divided her time between Kilteely where Louise and Ben live and Limerick city where her mother, Martina, lives.
The car in which they were back seat passengers hit a ditch near Galbally at around 1am on Saturday morning.
Two young men in the front of the car survived.
A heartbroken Ben O’Riordan said yesterday: “We were getting ready to go on a family holiday on Saturday to France for two weeks and then this happened. Our gorgeous girls have been taken from us. Everyone loved them. I don’t think we’ll ever get over this. They just wanted to go to a disco before going on holidays. This is a living hell. I’ve never experienced anything like this.”
Robyn battled bravely until the early hours of Sunday morning when she died in the Mid-Western Regional Hospital.
Louise Miller said she is living a nightmare. She said: “They spent four hours getting ready to go out on Friday night, doing their hair and make-up. They were joking all day. They rarely go out to discos. The last time I saw them was on Friday evening when they were driving away in the car. Leanne was waving at me and smiling. I never saw them again.
“I stayed up waiting for them to come home. I had the window open listening for the car, but I drifted off asleep. Then, I heard the doorbell. I was wondering what they were doing ringing the bell as I left the door open for them.
“I opened the door and I saw the two guards and the priest. It’s something I’ll never forget. I looked at Fr Egan and I just knew by the look on his face that they were gone.
“Robyn’s mum, Martina, is in bits too. This is terrible for everyone. They always had the music blaring upstairs and I would have to tell them to turn it down. They were inseparable. I wish I could hear the music now. I would give anything to hear them laugh and joke. I would give anything to see our girls smile.”
Louise and Ben moved from Corbally to Kilteely two years ago. They have three other children: Mickey, 17, Sarah eight and Jake 19 months.
There will be a Mass for Robyn at St Munchin’s church at 10am tomorrow.
Following that, her remains will be brought to Kilteely parish church where her coffin will be placed alongside that of Leanne.
They will be laid to rest in the local cemetery after a concelebrated Mass at noon.
