A MONAGHAN native who was living in New Zealand is to date the only confirmed Irish victim of the 6.3 magnitude earthquake in Christchurch.
Eoin McKenna, a psychiatric nurse, had been living in New Zealand for the past six years. He is believed to have been out shopping when the earthquake struck at around lunchtime local Christchurch time.
A falling building caused debris to collapse on Mr McKenna’s car leading to his death.
Mr McKenna, who was in his early 40s, was a member of a well-known family from Brackagh near Emyvale, Co Monaghan.
His wife, who is from New Zealand, is also a psychiatric nurse and they have two children.
Mr McKenna had previously trained and worked in London and spent some time in Saudi Arabia, where it is believed he met his wife.
It is understood his wife and children Grace (6) and Tadgh (5) were visiting family in another part of New Zealand when the earthquake struck and were told that Mr McKenna was missing after the hospital in which he was working contacted them to say he had not shown up for work.
In Monaghan yesterday neighbours and friends gathered at the family home to comfort Mr McKenna’s mother Theresa, known as Teesy, and his seven siblings.
Fabian Murphy, an old school friend from St Macartan’s College in Monaghan, said since the news had begun filtering through yesterday that Mr McKenna was missing and was subsequently confirmed dead, it had “just been unreal” for those who knew him and that he would be greatly missed.
Fr Sean Nolan, parish priest for the small border community of Ballyoisin, Truagh, has appealed for the family to be given privacy.
“The whole area is in deep sympathy with Teesy and the whole McKenna family,” he said.
Peadar Carpenter of the Department of Foreign Affairs said yesterday the Irish consul had been in contact with Mr McKenna’s family in New Zealand and consular assistance had been offered.