Memorial mass to mark second anniversary of Ashling Murphy's death

Ashling Murphy. Photo: Youtube (Memorial Video)

The school where murdered teacher Ashling Murphy taught will remember her with a special Mass on Friday morning to mark the second anniversary of her death.

A commemorative walk to a memorial shrine in her honour on the Grand Canal in Tullamore will also take place on Friday afternoon.

The tributes follow an anniversary Mass in her home parish of Mountbolus in Offaly on Thursday night.

The 23-year-old was killed while she was out for a run along the Grand Canal in Tullamore on January 12, 2022.

Last November, Jozef Puska was found guilty of her murder at the Central Criminal Courts of Justice and was given a mandatory life sentence. The 33-year-old, with an address at Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Co Offaly, had pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Murphy at Cappincur in Tullamore.

Ashling Murphy. Photo: Facebook

In a post shared on the Ashling Murphy Memorial Fund’s Facebook page, a notice from Durrow National School showed a photo of Ashling, which was captioned: “Our Shining Light Forever”.

The notice described her as a “very special person to us all”.

It continued: “We pray and thank her for the great gifts of joy, music, song, sports, teaching and friendship that she has left behind in our school.

“Ms Murphy was a beautiful, kind, loving and excellent teacher who will never ever be forgotten in Durrow NS.” The celebration Mass in her memory will take place at 10am on Friday in St Colmcille’s Church in Durrow, where pupils and staff of the school gathered in February 2022 for her month’s mind Mass.

At her funeral in Mountbolus, her first class pupils stood outside the church, many holding photos of the popular teacher.

The commemorative walk will take place at 3.15pm, from Digby Bridge in Capincurr car park to the memorial shrine on the Grand Canal.

The Ashling Murphy Memorial Fund was set up on January 6, 2023 and almost 30 fundraisers have taken place since then in her memory.

On its Facebook page, the group behind the fund said: “Within a year, almost 30 fundraisers were undertaken in memory of Ashling and in aid of the memorial fund established to continue her strong, exemplary legacy.

“From marathons to parachute jumps, from organised community walks/races to climbing 23 of Ireland’s highest peaks, from Tractor Runs to Table Quiz nights, from music sessions to raffles and everything in between. No matter how big or small the fundraiser, we are eternally grateful for the generous support of those continuing to hold Ashling and her memory close to them.”

It added: “With your kind support, the Ashling Murphy Memorial Fund can utilise donations and proceeds from fundraisers to achieve the objectives of the memorial fund. These objectives, compiled along with the Murphy family, are deemed close to Ashling’s heart and represent the many interests she had in her 23 years. The charity’s overall aim is to support the development of the Traditional Irish Arts, Culture and Heritage for young people by providing an environment to continue and enhance the culture in which Ashling grew up and was very much part of.”