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Niamh Doyle and Gemma Nolan in family photographs used for death notices on RIP.ie
Updated 6.25pm
THE FOUR YOUNG women who died in last night’s horrific crash in Kildare were all past pupils of the same school.
Gemma Nolan, Niamh Doyle, Ashling Middleton and Chermaine Carroll all attended St Leo’s College, an all-girls secondary school in Carlow.
In a statement this afternoon, the staff and students said they are “devastated at the loss of four beautiful young girls”.
It is with great sadness that we learned of the tragic accident involving five of our past pupils. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to their families and friends at this awful time. May their gentle souls rest in peace.
The message, issued through the Catholic Communications Office, also prayed for “their friend who was injured in last night’s crash”, asking for “God to extend his healing grace to her”.
“We also think of the driver and passenger in the van and ask God to be with them and their families.”
Funeral arrangements for three of the girls have been announced.
Ashling, aged 19 from Athy, will repose at a funeral home in Naas on Friday evening before removal on Saturday morning to the Church of the Irish Martyrs in Naas for 11am Mass. She will be laid to rest in St Corban’s Cemetery in the town.
She is survived by her mother Sharon, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Her Dad Ray has passed away.
A Maynooth University student, Ashling was in her second year of studying English and Anthropology.
In a statement today, the college said it was ”deeply saddened and shocked” to learn of the death of the student.
Our thoughts are with the families and friends of the four young women so suddenly and sadly taken from us. We are mindful also of the three people injured in the accident who remain in hospital, and we hope for their full recovery.
The University is providing support and counselling services to students and staff.
Niamh, also 19 and from Carlow, will be mourned by her immediate family – heartbroken parents Ber and Veronica, sister Louise, brother Kevin, niece Rachel and boyfriend Shane.
Her remains will repose at a funeral home in Carlow on Thursday evening and Friday. Her funeral Mass will take place on Saturday at 11.15am in Askea. She will be buried at St Mary’s Cemetery in Carlow. The family has asked for donation to be made to Carlow Regional Youth Services in lieu of flowers.
Gemma, aged 19, is survived by her parents Jim and Josephine, brothers John, Fran and Darren and boyfriend Frankie. Her funeral Mass will be held in Askea on Friday afternoon with burial at St Mary’s Cemetery in Carlow.
Chermaine, aged 20, was an employee of the Woodford Dolmen Hotel. In a statement this evening, the firm said she was a part of its “close knit team for the past three-and-a-half years.
She was a beautiful person inside and out and always had a happy smile to share. We are very sad that we will not have her around us anymore. She was like family and was always bubbly and a pleasure to work with. Chermaine made many work friends who are all devastated today.
“We would like to extend our sincerest condolences to her family, friends and boyfriend Toss and to the Middleton, Nolan and Doyle families. Our prayers and thoughts are with the Kearney family at this heartbreaking time.”
Sometimes there are no words – only shoulders to lean on, hands to hold on to and hugs to comfort you as best they can.
The four women were killed when the car they were travelling in collided with a van near Athy last night.
The crash happened shortly before 9.45pm at Burtown in Kildare, around three miles from Junction 3 of the M9, heading for Athy on the N78.
Local priest Fr Frank McEvoy was called to the scene, telling media today there was little hope for the teenagers and young woman as they were taken to Naas hospital where they were pronounced dead.
The local area has been shocked by the tragedy and the loss of four young lives.
Bishop Denis Nulty, the Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, said he is “deeply shocked” by the crash.
It is a dark day for the people of Carlow, Rathcoole and Athy and there is very little any of us can say at this time to comfort those bereaved by this tragedy.
Kildare County Council’s Road Safety Officer Declan Keogh described the collision as ‘appalling, tragic and beyond comprehension’.
He said the four deaths have torn asunder many families, friends and communities in Athy and Carlow.
First published 4.42pm
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Friday’s answer = 11
Why?
The written numbers are the number of digital lines making up the preceding number.
It was too simple! Pointless really…
I got it by chance. I saw the difference between the pairs of digital numbers was 6, 6, 12, 12. I thought then the penned in numbers had a similar pattern 7, 9, 9, 11. I thought there must be another 11 then. The real reason makes more sense but it’s funny how this worked out.
Maybe yours is the real reason and mine is by chance.
We’ll probably never know.
Did the same as Mr Dragmire.
You still recognised the pattern Mr dragmire.
Geez, no explanation for Friday’s answer which wasn’t a maths puzzle and no clarification for Tuesday’s mess up either, ending with a whimper.
Tuesday’s was OK – the absence of explanation was unfortunate.
Half the children had a dog – so their can’t be 25 or 27 children, other wise you have half a dog!
So there were either 15 or 26 Dogs
But there were 3 times as many dogs as cats – so which of 15 & 26 is divisible by 3?
OK
15 dogs, 5 cats, 8 goldfish & 2 hamsters – 30 pets – and also 30 children.
It wanted number of pets not number of students. 24 students would have 25 pets between them and 30 students would have 30 pets between them. The only conditions are that total #students must be divisible by 6 and that total #pets must be divisible by 5.
Tuesdays answer could have been 25 also. 12 dogs, 4 cats, 7 goldfish & 2 hamsters equal 25.
All the people that got their knickers in a twist on Tuesday can now un twist them :)
But they haven’t cleared up the confusion despite the reams of comments pointing out their mistake.
What was their mistake on Tuesday? I can’t see one.
With the way the question was phrased both 25 and 30 are possible answers.
The answer is dependant on the assumption that each child only has one pet. It may seem trivial but saying that half the children have dogs doesn’t help at all without that knowledge. It should have just said half the pets are dogs or made it clear that each child had only one pet.
Ok – I see how that could be possible if you allow for a pupil having two pets.
A bit of a contrived gripe in my view.
Not really contrived in my opinion. That caught me up as well until I said fe<k it and just made the assumption. I wrote it in my copy book and everything. Really should have stated it in the question.
Has Jane found out how many kids were in that classroom ? Classic!!
Have you figured out that 72 isn’t the answer to today’s one?
Yes I have ,Leopold.
4/5 not bad, water one got me.
water a vexed question right now – especially if one is asked to pay for it.
Professor layton; journal style
I thought the teeth brushing one was poorly worded. I got the “correct” answer if I based the time on 50 mins ie subtracting the rinsing time.
Seconds not mins!
72 should have been the right answer ..
72 is the right answer if you’re looking at the big numbers.
But the next number will be one of the faint numbers.
I think it’s 11.
If you loop the faint numbers, skipping one number each time, you get 11.
The 7 goes with the second 9
And the first 9 goes with the first 11
So the next loop would make it 7 to 9 to 11. The loops are overlapping
a
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