The grieving mother of tragic youngster Amy English has spoken about her pride that her daughter’s name will be inscribed on a RNLI boat in a bid to keep her memory alive.
Amy English – the beloved daughter of Emma English - died in a horror road crash in 2020 when the car in which the 21-year-old was a passenger collided with a lorry near Navan.
The driver of the car, Derry man Conor McColgan, 23, was also killed instantly.
Read More: Daughter of Emma English to have lasting legacy after tragic crash
Emma – who is the ex-girlfriend of former FAI chief John Delaney – told us how honoured that her daughter’s name is one of 10,000 names that will be inscribed on the boat.
She said: “We are very honoured that our daughter Amy’s name will take pride of a place alongside the many others who are sadly no longer with us.
“It is a great privilege to know Amy is a part of something so special.”
Emma said knowing “beautiful” Amy’s name will be part of the RNLI’s lifesaving missions is something she is incredibly proud of.
“Knowing her name will be onboard this wonderful vessel doing the incredible work that they do, rescuing and saving lives, that our beautiful Amy will be very much a part of their missions is a wonderful thing.
“It is a great initiative. I know Amy would be beaming with pride to be a part of something so great.”
The new boat, which is based in Clifden in Connemara, marks the culmination of a sell-out fundraising campaign, Launch A Memory, which invited people to have a loved one's name placed on the boat in return for a suggested donation of €30 to the RNLI.
Two years on, the initiative has been a sell-out success and Amy will be one of the thousands of names added to the vessel.
The lettering is 3-4mm in height and contained within the RNLI letters and numbers of the lifeboat.
The long awaited St Christopher set sail from Poole Lifeboat Centre in Dorset, England, on Friday with stopovers in Plymouth, Penlee, Ballycotton, Kinsale and Valentia before coming home to Clifden.
This life saving vessel means so much to so many people whose loved ones will be remembered in a very special way; 10,000 names will go to sea with the crew every time the lifeboat launches.
Emma said the inscription was a gift given to her by Amy’s uncle Tom and her Aunt, Kaye English along with her cousins in Cork.
“It was a wonderful gift given to Amy by her Uncle Tom and Auntie Kaye English and her cousins in Cork.
“It is a heart-warming and special gift that helps us in keeping Amy’s memory alive.
“I would like to sincerely thank them for this very kind and thoughtful gift for Amy.”
Emma added that she will be taking a trip with Amy’s three brothers to see the boat soon.
“I will be taking a trip with Amy’s three brothers to see the boat, for sure. We look forward to seeing her name onboard.”
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