Sea of pink for funeral of tragic Mari, 5

THE tiny white coffin was decorated with Dora the Explorer stickers, but everyone attending five-year-old Mari Connolly’s funeral yesterday would have known her favourite colour was pink.

Pink balloons, teddy bears and flowers were all part of the final farewell for the little girl who lost her life in a house fire. Children from Mari’s school, Scoil na nAingeal Naofa, in Boyle, Co Roscommon, wore pink ribbons in their hair while people in the congregation wore pink scarves and flowers.

Her father made a journey from his hospital bed in Dublin to attend the funeral Mass of his daughter.