Schools and community rally round bereaved students as Clonmel grieves

Ahead of today's vigil, school principals and chaplain honour the memory of Zoey Coffey, Nicole Murphy, Grace McSweeney, and Luke McSweeney

Presentation Secondary School principal Michael O’Loughlin; CBS High School chaplain Fr Michael Toomey; and Loreto school principal Anne McGrath honoured the memory of their four former students who died in Friday's crash on the Mountain Road in Clonmel Co Tipperary. Picture: Collins

What started as a day of joy and celebration for young people embarking on a new chapter in their lives ended with their schools and town clouded with unbearable grief, sadness, and total devastation.

The schools in Clonmel paid tribute over the weekend to their paid tribute to “beautiful", "kind" and "vibrant" students who lost their lives in the devastating road collision on Friday night after receiving their Leaving Cert results earlier that day.

Schools in the Tipperary town remained open over the weekend to provide pastoral support and care for their students affected by the tragedy, as well as remembrance services.

Loreto Secondary School Clonmel principal Anne McGrath said Nicole Murphy was 'kind, gentle and witty and she was a trusted and loyal friend'. Picture: Damien Storan/PA

Zoey Coffey and Grace McSweeney attended Presentation Secondary School, while Nicole Murphy attended the neighbouring Loreto School.

Grace's brother, Luke McSweeney, 24, was a past pupil of CBS High School, where their younger brother and Nicole’s younger brother are both current pupils.

Presentation Secondary School principal Michael O’Loughlin described Zoey and Grace as “two beautiful students loved by everyone who met them and achieved such excellent results on Friday". 

“Both girls were absolutely thrilled with their results and were looking forward to new, exciting times ahead.” 

Grace was a “gentle and kind person", he said. “She was thoughtful, considerate, and hard working. Grace was a gifted gymnast and dancer, and a very good student who had a positive impact on everyone she encountered."

“Zoey’s personality was warm and vibrant. She was funny, kind and determined.”

“Zoey was a diligent worker and was very popular with her peers and her teachers. She was central in all aspects of school life in Presentation.”

Zoey Coffey, Nicole Murphy, Grace McSweeney, and her brother Luke McSweeney who died in the crash in Clonmel on Friday while they were on their way to an exam results celebration. Pictures: Family Handout/PA

Nicole Murphy was described by her former principal Anne McGrath as a beautiful student, highly regarded by staff and students alike.

"During her time in Loreto, she developed into a young woman who was kind, gentle and witty and she was a trusted and loyal friend." 

Speaking to RTÉ, Ms McGrath said Nicole was fondly remembered by her classmates and her teachers.

“Nicole was the child who sent a message to one of her teachers on Friday, thanking her for teaching her over the last two years because she'd gotten the H1 in her subject and she just said ‘thank you so much for your teaching’. That’s the type of student we had.”

Fr Michael Toomey, school chaplain at CBS High School, said Luke McSweeney was fondly remembered at the school from which he graduated in 2017.

Luke was a big rugby player, and he had a great sense of humour, Fr Twomey said.

A garda greets grieving friends of the crash victims as they arrive with floral tributes to the scene of Friday's crash on the Mountain Road in Clonmel Co Tipperary. Picture: Eamonn Farrell/Rolling News 

“One of the traditions we have at the end of the year the sixth years take on the teachers and he was the captain that year. To wind everybody up, he came in fully dressed in a suit. He had a great sense of humor as well.”

CBS High School principal Karen Steenson said the school learned of Luke and Grace’s passing with profound sadness and grief.

“We are holding their brother David in fifth year and their family in our hearts at this time.”

“We are also extending our arms around the Murphy family at the loss of their beautiful daughter Nicole, brother to our third year student Ryan.

“We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the family and friends of Zoey Coffey who also lost her life in this tragedy.”

Emergency services at the scene in Clonmel, Co Tipperary on Saturday where the four young people lost their lives the previous evening. Picture: Damien Storan/PA Wire

Next week, as CAO offers are issued to Leaving Cert students, students in Clonmel will be looking at attending funerals for their friends who lost their lives on Friday, Presentation Secondary School principal Michael O’Loughlin told RTÉ.

“Its going to be a big time for any student in sixth to leave home to go to college. Now with this devastation, I hope the third level colleges will be aware of this, that there will be students [from this community] and they will support them as well.”

“Maybe the CAO will look after them and make sure that if students offers are accepted or not accepted that they would give a bit of leeway to students. Their focus at the moment is on bereavement and the days ahead.”

Education Minister Norma Foley extended her condolences to the community following the "unimaginable and heartbreaking tragedy". 

Presentation Secondary School principal Michael O’Loughlin, Loreto school principal Anne McGrath, and CBS High School chaplain Fr Michael Toomey spoke of their schools' grief at the loss of former students, Zoey Coffey, Nicole Murphy, Grace McSweeney, and Luke McSweeney. Picture: Damien Storan/PA

"Support services will be in place as long as they are required by the school and we're very cognizant of the fact that different schools will have different needs, different students will have different needs." 

"Everybody who works in the education sector has one prevailing objective, and that is to support students in whatever capacity they can support them." 

"They walk before students, behind students, and beside the students, whatever the case might be, and that's exactly what you are seeing happening now in our schools, and that will continue right through." 

I'm very conscious that the class of 2023 technically moved on from the school, but it is so important that they would know that the school continues to be there for them. 

"The door of the school is always open to a student, whether they are an immediate student or a past student, and so the support will be ongoing as they're required."