'I didn't know who was going to take me': Cork schoolgirl on being orphaned after mother's death

Sarah Horgan talks to a Cork schoolgirl who found her mother dead at home in April. This, and the fact that her father had died when she was 10, meant she was an orphan. That's when the community and her school in Cork stepped in

Julia Pawlowska (centre) with art teacher Lorraine Naughton and Meghan Wallace, Nurture programme teacher in the art room at Coláiste Éamann Rís, Deerpark, Cork. 'I am so happy here,' says Julia. Picture: Larry Cummins

It is a deeply tragic, yet heart-warming story. In April, Cork schoolgirl Julia Pawlowska discovered her mother's body in their Wilton home. Anna Gol died unexpectedly after battling a number of health conditions. Julia’s father, Marcin, had passed away when she was 10.  With no family in Cork, and just one aunt in her parent's native Poland, Julia was now an orphan.

“I was in town for my friend’s birthday.” Julia recalls of April 4. “Mum wasn’t answering her phone. I was getting nervous and texting other people to find out where she could be. I knew that something wasn’t right so I took the bus home. That was when I found her. I felt shocked and so alone.”