Murdered mum laid to rest in Tralee: ’Nicola did not know how beautiful she was’
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Nicola was more than a statistic marking the increase in violence in our society, she was a person whose loss is felt keenly by her family and friends, writes Anne Lucey.
Those were the words of Fr Padraig Walsh, the parish priest of St Brendan’s in Tralee, as he spoke at the funeral of mother of three Nicola Collins, who was found dead in an apartment in Farranree in Cork City in the early hours of Monday morning last.
At the end of a simple but moving ceremony, the congregation at the Church of Our Lady and St Brendan heard from Nicola’s younger sister Carly, of Nicola’s struggle with life, of her unfair share of suffering, of her beauty and of her prowess at the piano at a young age, her tendency to be very hard on herself and her honesty and humour.
Fr Walsh said the congregation of around 200 - which included Nicola’s mother Kay Drew, her father Michael Collins and her three sons, Nick, Adam and Michael - had gathered “with a great sense of shock, a great sense of loss and a great sense of sadness. The priest also extended his sympathy to the late Ms Collins’ former husband Elaije.
Since the news broke, people lived with a sense of disbelief, Fr Walsh said.
“Nobody deserves to die as Nicola did and we struggle to come to terms with her death and the way she was taken from us,” the priest said.
“From a distance, people, will look at her death and look at the increased levels of violence in Irish society. And from a distance, Nicola’s death will be seen as another statistic in this dreadful reality of increased violence. But for her family, for her friends this is no statistic; it is the tragic loss of a daughter, a sister, a mother and a friend,” Fr Walsh said.
The manner in which she was taken meant she had no time to say goodbye; but even in her last visit to her former home in St Brendan’s Park, Tralee some weeks ago she called to see a former neighbour who was ill.
“Yes Nicola gave so much, and Nicola had so much to give,” Fr Walsh said.
Prayers of the Faithful included prayers for people suffering from addiction, and for the emergency services, the gardaí and the community in Farranree, in Cork.
Nicola’s mother, Kay, who is in a wheelchair, brought up the offertory gifts.
The hauntingly beautiful hymns at the mass included “Be not afraid” and “Amazing Grace”. At the end of the ceremony Carly, who is studying for a doctorate degree in Barcelona, said her sister always spoke with honesty and spoke her mind, but underneath people could sense her vulnerability and her softness.
“My sister did not know how beautiful she was both inside and out,” Carly said.
She described Nicola as intelligent and gifted, who had a brilliant sense of humour, loved music and in her younger years had been “a dab hand” at the piano. Nicola, who had lived in the Togher area of Cork, also loved cats and kittens.
Nicola Collins was laid to rest at Rath cemetery, Tralee.
Gardai are currently still investigating Nicola’s death and are calling for anyone who might have any information to come forward.
The authorities questioned a man about the murder last week, but later released him without charge.
The next day another man was arrested and questioned, but he too was later released without charge.
Anyone who might have any information is asked to contact Gardai at Mayfield Garda Station on 021 455 8510 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.
