Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
Updated 19.59pm
THE REMAINS of four of the students killed after a balcony collapse in Berkeley will be repatriated this evening on a flight to Dublin.
The joint funeral of cousins Olivia Burke and Ashley Donohue is due to take place tomorrow.
The remains of the four other students will be returned to their families in a joint service in a church in St Columbus’ Church in Berkeley this evening.
It’s reported the families of the Irish students want the J-1 community to also be allowed to pay their respects and shuttle buses are being arranged to transport students to an overnight vigil at the church
It’s believed the remains will then be repatriated back to Ireland tomorrow. The caskets will arrive in Dublin on Sunday.
Memorial
Minister for the Diaspora Jimmy Deenihan, who travelled to the US to be with the the families who have lost loved ones attended a memorial on Kittredge Street today.
Speaking to RTÉ, he said he had never seen an outpouring of genuine sympathy and grief from the whole country like the one that had accompanied this tragedy.
“The six who are dead have become the children of Ireland.”
Having visited the scene where the balcony collapsed, the minister said it was a miracle that no one else was killed.
At a press conference at the hospital this evening, the minister said he spoke to two mae survivors of the incident, who he said are expected to make a full recovery.
He thanked the medical staff at the hospitals for all they have done and for accomodating both family and friends in this difficult time.
Friends pay respect
A friend of one of the victims of the tragic Berkeley balcony collapse has paid tribute to him.
Katie Wolahan has written a moving blog post about her friend Lorcán Miller (21), one of six people who lost their lives earlier this week.
“We used to walk down by Shankill beach and pass two huge seafront houses. He was going to buy one, I was going to buy the other, and our kids would grow up as best friends.
“Ideally, two of our children would fall in love, and we’d have a few mutual grandchildren. He promised that if I asked him to be a bridesmaid at my wedding, he would wear a dress, or at least a matching suit.”
“We’d spend hours on the beach talking. I’m struggling to remember what exactly we talked about for hours on end. Probably the normal stuff; relationships, college, exams, food, family, what we were doing next weekend. It all seems so trivial now, and I can’t help wondering if I told him enough how much he meant to me.
Katie, who is currently in Vietnam, said she was been “swinging between every emotion” as she slowly comes to terms with her friend’s death.
Family was “incredibly important” to Lorcán, she said, noting:
“He adored his three younger siblings, and spoke non-stop of their latest school plays or spelling tests or birthday parties. He spoke with such admiration of his two parents Sinead and Ken, and I am thinking of them and praying for their strength constantly.”
To all those who are grieving for the six young people, I am so so sorry for your pain. To the families and friends of those injured, I am constantly praying and wishing for their full recovery. To all the people who have contacted me over the past two days, thank you for your kindness.
Everyone is in this together, and it seems as though every person in Ireland is shocked and saddened by the loss of six beautiful, bright people. Lorcán had so much more to give, but his achievements in life far exceeded the time he had. He brought immeasurable happiness and joy to me and so many others, something I am eternally grateful for. He will be in my heart always.
Niccolai Schuster (21), Eoghan Culligan (21), Eimear Walsh (21), Olivia Burke (21) and Ashley Donohoe (22) also died when they were celebrating a 21st birthday party on Monday night.
Several others remain in hospital.
This afternoon, author JK Rowling sent a message of support to Clodagh Cogley after hearing she was a fan of her books.
Memorial service
Hundreds of people attended a memorial service at UCD this afternoon, where three of the victims were students.
President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina were among those present at Belfield Church.
People also gathered outside Foxrock Church this afternoon, where a tree planting ceremony was held.
Messages were written on ribbons and tied to the tree to honour the six who lost their lives this week. People are encouraged to take write their messages over the weekend
Enda Kenny said he intends to meet the bereaved families whenever it is appropriate to do so.
Meanwhile, the GAA has announced that a minute’s silence will be held at all inter-county championship fixtures this weekend as a mark of respect.
Additional reporting Christina Finn
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
When you consider the stupid things we worry, fight and are angry about in our own lives.
Too much time spent looking at things past in our lives.
It can be over in a second.
What a difficult time for these poor people.
Very true John, there is a lesson there for all of us. Just Heartbreaking young people on the cusp of their careers. Tragic just tragic. RIP
Yes. We will recover but I can not say the same for the families of the victims.How do you get over the loss of your child.We expect to bury our parents, we don’t want to ,but we do but its unnatural that we live to bury our children. For these bereaved families nothing will ever be the same again.A single minute changed their lives and now they have to live through a weight of grief and heartache that the rest of us can only imagine. They will grieve forever knowing their children will never live to graduate, marry, provide grandchildren. They will grieve at every anniversary, every birthday and every family gathering. Yes we , who had no direct connection to the victims will move on, just liked we moved on from the horrific crash in Carlow that took other young students lives…..but how can anyone expect their families to move on?. My heart aches for the families, for their pain and heartache and for what lies before them.
Mary Mc oh how so true your post is.
As a family who lost a beautiful son just over a year ago( 64 weeks to be precise) our lives are changed forever .
Your post says it exactly as it is for a family losing a child.
Losing a child regardless of the circumstances is beyond belief, heartbreak pain and grief for ever with our son and child never ever coming home again.
I know exactly how all the families are feeling right now and all we can do is offer our sympathies and condolences while at the same time empathising with all of the parents and immediate families.
May all their gentle souls rest in peace.
I am so sorry for you loss David. There really are no words to comfort you in your pain
Lovely heartfelt post
I’m in tears after that wonderful tribute. Truly moving.
Life is a b**ch folks….none of us know when our time is up. I say don’t worry or stress out too much about life in general such as work, exams, where will I be in 5 years etc etc….don’t be afraid to do your thing. You are never too young or old…we all only have one shot at our time on Earth. Stay strong all.
It gets more upsetting each time I read about it. I hope God is waiting by the pearly gates to greet his newest angels.
Bloody hell, now the GAA will have a minute’s silence at every game? Really? Am I the only person thinking it’s all got a little out of hand?
Terrible, heartbreaking tragedy for the friends and families of the five victims but for everyone else, especially the media, a sense of perspective is badly needed.
Oh FFS lads it’s only for one weekend; maybe the players and or their clubs even requested it! Unclench.
You’re absolutely right. A few years ago, I remember five young girls were killed in a school bus crash, and there was nothing like this. It’s all being escalated by the British tabloids that have taken over the Irish media, and by the internet. It’s obscene and exploitative.
@Ken Fallon, one of the lads (if not more of the students) played GAA and was heavily involved with the sport. Makes perfect sense that they mourn a young man who might have played for his county one day.
truly terrible loss.
The next time I’m fortunate enough to stand by a quiet lake, mountain or at the coast of our beautiful country, I will sombrely think of these poor kids who’ve missed out on the rest of their lives.
Wishing their loved ones and their friends all the best in dealing with this awful tragedy.
Say what you may about Enda Kenny the politician. However as a decent human being he knows how to empathise with people who have had such a tragic event come upon them. It is a time to realise that when something like this happens the country unites in grief and respect and our leaders exemplify and give voice to how the country feels at the moment. In fairness it is at times like these we need our leaders of all parties to be our representatives in a dignified and respectful manner. Up to last week these young adults were anonymous to us, they will all be remembered and through the their tragic passing have been embraced by our country.
May they rest in peace.
Totally inappropriate comment in my opinion. Of course the Taoiseach should express his condolences and show empathy when a terrible tragedy like this occurs, anyone would. What else would he do, be disrespectful? His reaction is not evidence of some extraordinary moral courage or brilliant leadership. To suggest it is, is dishonest in my opinion.
Enda Kenny wants to meet the survivors? Jaysus haven’t they been through enough?
Seriously though, like everyone else in the country my heart goes out to everyone involved in this senseless tragedy.
well done Michelle never let chance pass no matter what the topic is without trying getting a political dig in . you should apply for a job with the NY times ..
Neither the time or the place Michelle..I’m no fan of Kenny but people are grieving and suffering immense loss..take a swipe at Enda another day yeah ?
People are grieving every day, Tony. Other Irish people have died since the Berkeley tragedy. Irish people die on a daily basis, in fact…even young people.
Some nice dick posts out of you Ken.
6 people don’t generally die on the same day as a result of a tragic accident do they Ken?
‘Nice dick posts’? What on earth are you in about?
To all who lost their lives… Eimear walsh RIP
RIP cousin god only takes angels xx
I have never cried so much for people I have never met. Our people have shown their true colours and joined together in a crisis.
@siobhan listen to elvis Presley singing, crying in the chapel
Probably the darkest day this county has ever faced. Will we ever recover??
troll
I would have respected Mr. Kenny’s intentions to meet with the survivors if he’d done it first & we found out about it after, rather than it appearing to be a PR stunt.
Ah now be fair – I’m no fan, but Kenny couldn’t win in this situation. If he didn’t state his intention in advance, he’d be criticised for doing nothing and then mocked for giving in to public pressure. Both Taoiseach and President act as representatives of the nation in expressing our sympathies.
look beyond the politics, Enda Kenny is a dad, the same as a lot of parents of j1 students, and any kid that is going out in the world on their own. believe me that this tragedy broke his heart as much as ours. however much I despise their politics, I refuse to think anyone is anything but sincere this week.
That is the first comment ever you have made that i have agreed with.
Yes EK should have made a comment first, on the day.
I’m just going to put this out there, and please don’t think my sympathy would fluctuate either way, but would this tragic accident be televised, and poured over if the students where from say sheriff st, tallaght, blanchardstown, or clondalkin? I’m not too sure. Forgive me if I offended anyone it was not my intent.
@wayne I don’t think your too wrong,the coverage on rte is like the death of jfk
Correct and right.
You’re not being offensive. You’ll get lots of red thumbs because going against the grain is not popular in the insular world that is the Journal’s comment section.
Insular?? Lol. Really?
Our family’s thoughts are with Hannah this evening. Big day for her . Hope everything goes well.
This is Not Your Tragedy…. it is the relation’s od the young people involved. It is good to have sympathy, and empathy, fkr people, but…. It is not Your Tragedy!!
I am sick of the way this government, and other Parties are jumping on the bandwagon , of human grief.!Sickining!
Would the government have bothered if they were 6 who were immigrants who left here for work, I do not think so. At the same time I am not saying anything against this tragedy but the government are playing it for their own public image in my view.
Poor taste
Katie Wolohan, what a lovely tribute. My sympathies to you too and to the bereaved families.
Please make it stop now.
Fallon you insensitive tramp
@dan de man. you mad. Or are you mad? Or wah. Loike,
Where was I being insensitive? My point relates to the disproportionate reaction from media outlets and politicians and has nothing to do with the tragedy itself. If my sister or brother died in a similar accident I wouldn’t be comfortable with this amount of attention.
Wow, Mr. Fallon. do you have to freeze your heart every night ?
I give up. Outta here…
I guess that’s a yes then. :)
You’re not really getting my point. Do you want me to explain it for you again?
oh Mr. Fallon I do get your point. “bloody hell, now the GAA will have a minutes silence at ever game? Really, Am I the only person thinking it’s all got a little out of hand? ” a truly heartless and pointless comment. Nasty if truth be told. “people are grieving every day, Tony. Other Irish people have died since the Berkeley tragedy. Irish people die on a daily basis, in fact…even young people” rarely in such tragic circumstances Mr. Fallon. My family has been thrown into turmoil because of this tragedy, we are related to one of the kids critically injured, so, Mr. Fallon keep your cynicism and shove it where the sun will never shine.
Nothing any of us can say at this point that hasn’t already been said. I join with everyone in expressing my deepest sympathies & my heart goes out to their families. I’m so sorry for their loss. Nothing else we can say.
They went over to sample a bit of life and sunshine b4 they came home and studied hard for a few years of college..Unfortunately they are coming home to be buried..what a tragedy.may they rest in peace
Why can’t the reporter use a better word than “remains” show some more respect in the language used
@dsl remains . is cute religious guff used to fool the gullible into thinking that the dead aren’t really dead I.e that the thing they call the soul is somewhere else and the body is what they call “the remains” and of course people believe such stuff
Why keep changing the headline??
I think why this resonates more than most, is that id guess a large proportion of the population did a J1 or similar. I did mine in Berkley for instance. Everyone knows someone who did one.
I honestly think there should be a national day of mourning, that is how much this tragedy has touched the nation’s heart. May all those injured get well soon and all those who tragically died , rest in peace.
Was the minister repeating what he learned as it looked like he was reciting from memory?
The ‘remains’ sounds like left over pieces. Why not the Bodies of those that died will be flown back…….
Quite right, Nikita.
Why do all media persist in using this liturgical word, “remains”?
Why not say, “bodies”?
Every time I see or hear this “remains” word, I get the sense that the victims have had to scraped up with a spoon.
Hardly the impression you reporters want to create, surely?
So why go on using the Roman Catholic terminology?
I would like to be there for their families and their homecoming – if it isn’t a private affair could you let me know if I am welcome and when..
My post come across really wrong. If it was appropriate I would like to pay my respects to the families & their loved ones
@jen don’t worry about the red nuts those people remind me of a mad stone throwing mob you’d see in some of the more primitive hell holes in the Mid East , always and ever ready with their red stones,sad people really.
We left Clare in December and settled just North of Berkeley. These tragic deaths have had a great effect on the SF Bay area. We (my family) send our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those snatced away from them so suddenly.
We keep you all in our thoughts. Be kind to one another.
K
So sad, these poor kids gone forever. They will remain for ever in their parent’s hearts, I can’t imagine a worse torment..
Very sad, these poor kids are gone forever, they will always be in their parents hearts, who will carry the sadness until they themselves die. I can’t imagine a worse tormwent.
have your say