Instead of celebrating her eighth birthday, Emili's family plans her funeral
Emili Roman. Picture via GoFundMe
They were looking forward to celebrating her eighth birthday on Thursday but now they are planning her funeral.
The heartbroken family of Emili Roman, the young girl who drowned after getting into difficulty while swimming at Fountainstown beach in Cork on Tuesday, has thanked all those who helped in the search and recovery operation as they confirmed her funeral details.
Emili’s remains will repose at Forde’s Funeral home in Carrigaline from 5pm to 6pm on Friday, with Requiem Mass at 11.30am on Saturday in the Church of Our Lady and St John and burial afterwards.
The funeral details were confirmed as tears and tributes flowed for the kind young girl with the beautiful warm smile, who drowned while swimming with pals during an after-school beach trip.
People moved by the tragedy had by last night donated more than €15,000 to a GoFundMe which has been set up to help her family pay for funeral expenses, and to ensure her funeral “is a heartfelt celebration of her beautiful life”.
A family friend, Beata O'Sullivan, who organised the fundraiser, said Emili "was taken from us while doing something she loved — swimming".
“Her loss has left an irreplaceable void in our lives,” she said.
“Her laughter was infectious, and her kindness knew no bounds. She touched the lives of everyone she met with her warm smile and boundless enthusiasm.
“Her love for swimming was just one facet of her vibrant personality, and it brought her immense joy.”
She said the money donated to the GoFundMe will help Emili’s family give her “the dignified farewell she deserves and alleviate the financial burden” on them.
The mood was sombre and sad among those who visited the beach on Thursday.
Many left flowers and soft toys on a low wall, close to where others had spelled out Emili’s name in little smooth, rounded stones.
Shock and disbelief continued to ripple through the coastal communities of Fountainstown and Crosshaven, where Emili lived with her parents, Marta and Slawomir, and her older sister and her twin brother.
The sense of shock was palpable at Templebreedy National School, a small three-teacher school in nearby Crosshaven, where Emili was a student in second class.
In a statement, the Bishop of Cork, Dr Paul Colton, patron of the school, the school principal, Doris Bryan, and the chairperson of the board of management, Michael Hodder, said everyone was “utterly devastated”.
“The entire school community, together with the local parish and community, are in shock and are utterly devastated,” they said.
"Most of all, we are all heartbroken for Emili’s family and loved ones.
“Emili and her twin brother Jeremy have been in our school since they joined junior infants in 2020.”
Ms Bryan, who was also Emili’s class teacher, described her as "kind with a bubbly personality".
“She had a beautiful smile. She was greatly loved by everyone and was very popular with all her friends,” she said.
“She was also very artistic and a gifted young girl.
“We are doing our best at the moment to make our school a safe space for all our school community to be together and to support each other as we remember Emili and come to terms with what has happened."
Bishop Colton, who spent most of the day at the school, said most of us cannot begin to imagine the suffering that Emili's family must now be going through.
“We are all, however, in shock and devastated," he said.
“A tragedy like this is having a traumatic effect also on this small parish school at the start of this new school year, and also the wider community.
“Practical support and prayers are assured for everyone in the school community, for Emili’s family, her fellow students, the school principal, the teachers, staff, parents/guardians, and members of the Board of Management."
He also thanked those involved in the various rescue services and said his thoughts and prayers are with them all.
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