'I felt like I had to protect her': Grace Lynch's mum recalls harrowing moments after her death

Siobhán Gifford Lynch speaks of her daughter needing special make-up at her wake to cover her injuries, which were so severe organ donation was not possible

Siobhán Gifford Lynch with Grace's dog Charlie at her home in Finglas, Dublin. Pictures: Gareth Chaney

The first moments after Grace Lynch died in hospital were not what her mother, Siobhán Gifford Lynch, had imagined they would be.

The family was taken to a private room, a space meant to offer some peace. What has stayed with Siobhán is not the quiet, but what she was unable to do for her daughter as she lay dying.