Tributes to teen killed in sledge tragedy
Counselling will be offered to her school friends today as her family makes final preparations to bury her, just days before Christmas.
Aoife suffered fatal injuries when the board on which she and three friends were sliding went out of control on a steep hill and collided at speed with a tree on the grounds of Frankfield Golf Club, on the outskirts of the city, on Saturday afternoon.
They had been among a large group of local children sledging on the hills of the nine-hole golf course when the accident happened at around 2.30pm.
Aoife and her friends — two brothers, aged 14 and 16, and another girl, Chelsea Noonan, aged 14 — were rushed to Cork University Hospital (CUH). But Aoife had suffered extensive head injuries and died a few hours later.
Chelsea and one of the boys, who suffered spinal injuries, remain in a serious but stable condition in CUH. The other boy has been discharged.
Superintendent Charlie Barry described it as a tragic accident and offered his sympathies to Aoife’s family.
He and third fire officer Gerry Myers, who attended the scene of the accident, made an appeal to children and their parents to be aware of the danger of tobogganing.
The scene was sealed off for a full garda forensic examination as part of the preparation of a file for the city coroner.
Colman Ryan, the secretary and manager of Frankfield Golf Club, said he and everyone associated with the club, were “shattered and devastated” by the accident.
“I can’t make any comment at the moment because there is a garda investigation under way but our thoughts and sympathies are with Aoife’s family. It is just dreadful,” he said.
Prayers were offered at Mass in Grange yesterday for Aoife and her family. Fr John Walsh, PP, told parishioners God’s “healing and presence” was needed now more than ever.
Aoife was a third-year student at Christ King Secondary School, where counselling will be made available to students today.
Principal Mary Keane said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with Aoife’s family: her sisters and parents and all her classmates and fellow pupils at Christ King, following the tragic accident. The death of a child, at anytime, is heartbreaking, but it is especially poignant at this time of year.”
Aoife was described by those who knew her well as a very talented sportswoman with a promising future.
A member of Douglas Camogie Club since she was a child, Aoife was a member of the Cork under 16 ladies football team and was also tipped as a possible senior Irish ladies soccer star.
Douglas GAA club chairman Joe Long paid an emotional tribute to her.
“It is hard to find words. Aoife was a fabulous player and a talented footballer. She was a very talented player and a lovely child.
“She won county medals at under 12 and under 14 level and was a member of the Douglas team who had the All Ireland Féile win in 2009. She was playing since she was seven or eight. She played in the under 16 county final two weeks ago.”
Aoife’s former camogie coach, Philip Kavanagh, added: “Aoife had the ability to make the Cork senior team and was a member of the Cork County development squad.
“She was also a great soccer player with the ability to make it into the Irish team and play internationally.
“She was a real nifty player in camogie and could score from anywhere. Aoife was a great forward.”
He also knows Chelsea, who remains in hospital.
“The two girls were just full of life and fun. They were always together and were two little devils with so much spirit and joy in them,” he said.
Aoife was a huge fan of X Factor finalists One Direction, and members of their fan club began posting messages of condolence on the social networking site Twitter over the weekend.
Such was the outpouring of grief that Aoife began to ‘trend’ (become one of the most popular topics) on Twitter in both Ireland and Britain.
Local Labour Councillor Denis O’Flynn, a neighbour of the Downey family, said the community is numbed by the tragedy.
“Your heart would go out to the family — to lose a child on Christmas week. It is absolutely desperate altogether that this would happen,” he said.
Aoife is survived by her parents, Siobhan and Sean and younger sisters Éadaoin and Caoimhe. Her classmates and members of Douglas Camogie Club are expected to provide a guard of honour at her funeral.
Reception prayers for Aoife will take place at 4.30pm tomorrow in the Church of the Incarnation in Frankfield. Requiem Mass will take place in the church on Wednesday at 11am.
Meanwhile, it has emerged that the stretch of road in Louth where a mother and son died in a car crash on Saturday afternoon was not gritted by the county council because of the reduced supply of salt available nationwide.
However during the cold spell earlier this month the road had been treated when there was a larger amount of salt available.
A garda spokesman confirmed that the icy road conditions were “believed to be a contributory factor,” in the crash on the former main road between Dublin and Belfast just north of Dunleer village.
There were two families involved in the crash, both originally from Romania but who had been living in Dunleer and whose children were attending local schools.
The driver of the car was discharged from hospital yesterday. His wife and their 10-year-old son died after the car went out of control and struck a wall.
An 11-year-old girl who is believed to have been the child of a friend was last night fighting for her life in hospital in Dublin.
A third child, the four-year-old daughter of the dead woman, was also in hospital in a serious condition.
The woman had been in the front passenger seat of the Opel Vectra and all three children were in the back.
