The father of a 15-year-old girl who was killed in a sledding accident today paid tribute to his 'miracle' daughter at her funeral in Cork.
Aoife Downey died and her three friends were injured when they crashed into a tree whilst out playing on a home-made sled near her home in Frankfield, Cork city last Saturday.
Speaking at her requiem mass at the Church of the Incarnation in Frankfield today, Seán Downey said he and his wife Siobhan had experienced problems conceiving and that Aoife was their "miracle" daughter.
"The doctor called her the ‘miracle baby’ - when we had her then she hardly slept. All she ever wanted from me was my time. She never looked for anything else," he said.
Mr Downey said he and his wife were "immensely proud" of their daughter, particularly when she won the All Ireland Féile title in 2009 as a member of the Douglas camogie team. "I pucked every ball with her. When the match ended I was the first on to the field to congratulate her. It was such a special moment."
Mr Downey said Aoife didn’t have a "bad word to say about anyone", even opponents on the pitch.
The packed church heard she was very protective of her younger sisters Caoimhe and Eadaoin, with Mr Downey saying life would never be the same for the family following her passing. "We are going to miss your happy smile and your funny comments," he said. "Aoife loved life and we all loved Aoife."
He added that Aoife was never as happy in her life as in the days preceding her death. She had just received tickets for singer Rihanna’s concert next October and was due to go to her first ever disco in Garryduff on the day she died.
The altar at the church featured green, black and white balloons, the colours of Douglas GAA club.
Mass was attended by Aoife’s classmates in third year at Christ the King Secondary School along with students from her former primary school, Scoil Niocláis, and members of Douglas GAA club along with a wide circle of friends.
The mass was celebrated by Fr Bob Brophy, who was joined on the altar by five other priests in addition to the Bishop of Cork and Ross Dr John Buckley.
Fr Brophy said she was a "precious gift" who lived life to the full. "I know parents are imagining the nightmare that that could have been my child. That is the horrendous nightmare to visit you the Downey family. It would be trite to suggest there is a human answer to all this. We are in the realm of mystery."
Classmates of Aoife’s formed a guard of honour as her coffin was taken from the church. She was laid to rest in St John’s Cemetery in Ballinrea, Co Cork.