A teenage girl killed in a horrific road crash in Co Kerry at the weekend has been remembered as a 'kind, gentle and beautiful person' by friends and family.
Eve O'Callaghan from Camp near Tralee in Co Kerry was the front seat passenger in a car involved in a single-vehicle crash at Derrymore East, Tralee on Saturday.
Eve, who had just started secondary school at the Presentation Secondary was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver, a man in his 40s, was brought to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
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Eve was the daughter of Donal and Hilary and sister to Jane and Jack. Her death notice states that she is "deeply regretted by her family - her parents, sister, brother, grandparents Dan, Sheila, Liam and Anne, aunts Aisling, Triona, Kate and Marianne, uncle Patrick, cousins, extended family, her school community at Presentation Secondary School, Tralee and all her friends."
Eve's funeral will arrive to St. John's Parish Church, Tralee on Wednesday morning (November 2nd) at 11.30AM for 12 Noon Requiem Mass followed by interment in Camp New Cemetery.
Tributes have been flooding in for the young schoolgirl ahead of her funeral on Wednesday.
Her dance school, The local Academy of Dance, said: "Our beautiful Eve, such a kind, gentle, & beautiful person. Our love to Donal, Hilary, Jane, Jack, all her extended family & friends. Eve will be in our hearts forever. We have no words but we are thinking of you all. Dance with the Angels, Beautiful Eve."
Another person wrote: "I am so incredibly sorry to hear about this tragedy. Hoping you will find the strength to get through these months and years ahead. Her loss will always be felt but time will help eventually. May she Rest In Peace."
The priest who attended the horrific crash site described it as "the most distressing thing I have ever come across.”
Fr Francis Nolan was called to the scene give Eve the Last Rites. Fr Nolan, from St John’s parish, told the Irish Mirror : “It is so sad, and just devastating.
“It was one of the most tragic things I have ever seen, it was extremely upsetting, I don’t know what happened.
“I just went and I saw the young girl Eve O’Callaghan and I said prayers and gave her the Last Rites. There are very little words you can say about it.
“She was just 13 years of age, what a tragic accident. It really was the most distressing thing I ever came across in my lifetime and I am a priest 37 years.
"I didn’t know the family or Eve and they were all gone to the hospital for treatment by the time I got there.
“The community is very shocked. Eve had her whole life ahead of her. It was a horrible evening, the weather was horrible, it was dark and cold and then for this awful thing to happen.”
Fr Nolan added he is “full of admiration” for the rescue services who tried to revive Eve. He said: “I am OK today, but I was shook yesterday. Everyone was trying to do their best, the medics and the gardai, for Eve and for the family.
“Our prayers and the prayers at the community are with them. We said prayers at all the masses today [Sunday] for Eve and her family.
“I had to come back and say Mass after witnessing such a distressing scene. You have to put all these things on hold and do your work. It is not easy at all, you think of your family and friends it could be anyone.”
Local Fianna Fail Councillor Breandan Fitzgerald said: “It’s an absolute tragedy. This is the road most of us use daily if not weekly. For that to happen, on that stretch of road where people are heading to work daily it’s just awful.”
Gardai urged anyone with information about the crash, particularly anyone with dash cam footage, to contact them.
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