Teenager who died in Buncrana tragedy remembered for charisma and warmth
A teenager who died in a drowning in Co Donegal has been remembered for his warmth and charisma.
Emmanuel Familola, 16, originally from Nigeria, died last weekend.
A funeral service at St Mary's Oratory in Buncrana on Saturday morning heard he was a much-loved first-born son and had recently completed work experience at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin.
Buncrana Parish Priest Father Francis Bradley described Emmanuel as an 'excellent student who always gave his best'.
'He had a serene magnetism to him which crossed social, ethnic and cultural boundaries, for his warmth and charisma spoke every language, touched every heart,' he told mourners.
Commandant Joe Glennon, aide de camp to Taoiseach Micheal Martin, was among those in attendance, also representing Tanaiste and Minister of Foreign Affairs Simon Harris.
Emmanuel, along with Matt Sibanda, 18, originally from Zimbabwe, died in the incident last weekend.
They had been playing football on Saturday when they went into the sea after a ball and got into difficulty.
Matt's body was recovered from Lough Swilly on Saturday evening while Emmanuel was rescued and taken to Letterkenny University Hospital, but died in the early hours of Sunday.
A vigil was held in their memory in Buncrana on Sunday evening and another vigil was held on Monday evening in Londonderry.
Both teenagers had been living with their families in separate international protection centres in Buncrana.
Schoolchildren from the Co Donegal town formed a guard of honour at St Mary's Oratory in the town on Saturday morning ahead of the funeral service for Emmanuel.
Speaking ahead of the service, Father Bradley said it was a profoundly sad day.
'This day last week, life changed for so many people unspeakably in just a few moments when tragedy struck again at Lough Swilly,' he said.
'Emmanuel was able way beyond his years because of all that he had experienced.
'He didn't allow the harsh things that he had seen to shape him, instead he saw those as opportunities to enable him and others to move on and to move up in the world.'
The funeral mass for Matt will be held next week.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BreakingNews.ie
3 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Maebh Corrigan backs Tyrone to overcome dissapointment ahead of All-Ireland
Tyrone's Maebh Corrigan has backed her county to overcome recent defeats in big occasions ahead of the start of the All-Ireland Championship. It has been a difficult season so far for Tyrone, with relegation from Division One followed by a narrow defeat to Down in the Ulster Intermediate semi-final. Advertisement Last season ended in heartbreak as Tyrone lost the Intermediate All-Ireland final by a single point. They will compete in Group Two, alongside Westmeath and fellow Ulster side Down. While Corrigan admitted the defeats were hard to take, she is confident Tyrone can learn from their mistakes. 'It does stick with you coming into this year. Whenever you are playing in Croke Park on those big occasions, there is such a build-up, but you're not getting a result out of it. Advertisement 'It shows that playing in Croke Park is brilliant, but winning in Croke Park is more important. We have that in the back of our minds this year. 'The Intermediate Championship is just so competitive—this year more so than any other—so you can't look past the first game.' In a season where many teams have lost experienced players and undergone significant squad overhauls, Tyrone have retained much of their panel from last season. With game management in big matches a key focus, Corrigan believes keeping the core of the squad together will be an advantage, but warned they must learn from last season's failings. Advertisement 'We have a very similar panel this year to last year, so we have to learn from it. There's no other choice. 'If we go out and do the same thing this year, we're not going to get a result from it. In terms of player turnover, this is probably the year our squad has remained the most consistent compared to previous years. 'Hopefully, we can use that to our advantage. We have to play to our strengths, and hopefully it will help that we've all played together at that level.' Meath and Kildare are two teams that have provided a template for success at the Intermediate level before making their mark in senior competition. Advertisement For Corrigan, whether it's Tyrone or another team, she is confident that whoever wins the All-Ireland will be a side to be reckoned with at senior level. 'The Intermediate Championship is so competitive, and a lot of teams are in a position to push on to the senior scene. 'Meeting those teams in the league—we lost by a point to Dublin, we stayed with Kerry and Armagh in the first half—shows that we're capable of keeping up with those strong Division One senior teams. It's just about making that breakthrough. 'I think any team that makes it to the latter stages of the Intermediate Championship this season has a good chance of competing at senior because the standard is so high.'
BreakingNews.ie
3 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
HSE must specify when services will be provided to children with disabilities, Supreme Court says
The Supreme Court has delivered an important judgment concerning the obligations of the HSE towards children with disabilities, including a need to specify when services will be provided to them. Compliance by the HSE with its obligations under the Disability Act 2005 involves setting out and implementing 'measurable' actions, the court said. Advertisement Although there is 'nothing objectionable' about the HSE's Individual Family Support Plan (IFSP) model for delivering services to children with disabilities, the court said the HSE must ensure it complies with its obligations and with the legislature's intention to give 'enforceable rights' to individuals. The five-judge court on Wednesday rejected the HSE's appeal against the High Court's finding that it failed to comply with its legal obligations in relation to an eight-year-old girl assessed as having autism spectrum disorder and global developmental delay. Giving the judgment, Ms Justice Iseult O'Malley said the statutory process obliges the HSE to specify what services will be provided to children with disabilities and when they will be provided. Delays in assessments of need are a 'recurring' theme in cases before the courts, she noted. There was a delay of more than 18 months in assessing the girl and further delays in providing her with therapy services identified as being her health needs. Advertisement The High Court, in finding the statutory requirements were not complied with, said the only service for the girl where the HSE specified a time frame for delivery was the development of an IFSP, but that was not a 'clinical service'. The core issues in the HSE's appeal were whether the 2005 Act required that each health service identified in an assessment report should be specified in a service statement; and whether the statutory requirements regarding the content of service statements were breached by identifying the development of the IFSP as a 'specified' health service. Ms Justice O'Malley found, while not every service recommended in an assessment report must be included in the service statement, there must be 'a rational connection' between the content of both. On the second issue, she ruled an IFSP is a 'health service' within the meaning of section seven of the 2005 Act. Advertisement She said the commencement of an IFSP is the starting point for delivery of services and the plan continues as the evolving basis for development of further goals. The legislature had intended a process through which particular services and dates would be 'clearly identified' in the service statements, with a legal right to seek implementation through the courts if necessary. If each service statement only specifies a start date for the IFSP process, the right may appear reduced as the only complaint apparently possible would be the failure to commence that process, she said. The HSE can, within the IFSP model, comply with its obligations to set out and implement measurable actions, she said. Advertisement The first service statement should 'spell out' what will be involved in the IFSP process. Reviews of the service statement also required greater detail, including an overall assessment of the goals set out, whether those have been achieved, identification of overall goals for the near future and the work to achieve those, the judge said. That might mean 'relatively frequent' reviews. If the only service specified in the first service statement is an IFSP, the HSE should record that the needs specified in the assessment of need have not been included. This was necessary under the HSE's obligation to assist in measuring aggregate needs. In the case of the girl, represented by Derek Shortall SC and Colin Smith SC, instructed by solicitor Wendy Lyon, she said the original service statement and the first review statement did not meet these criteria. The original statement had been superseded and it seemed likely there would have been further reviews, she noted.
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Trinity College Dublin to divest from links with Israeli universities and firms
Trinity College Dublin is to divest from new arrangements with Israeli universities, firms and institutions. The board of the prestigious Dublin university, home to over 20,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students, made the decision to divest from Israeli links on Wednesday. Pro-Palestinian activists have called on other Irish universities to follow suit. Last May, students formed an encampment at Trinity in protest against a 214,285 euro fine imposed on the students' union after a series of demonstrations about fees and rent, and the university's ties to Israel. Following engagement with the protesters, the college dropped the fine and said it would complete a divestment from Israeli companies that have activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and appear on the UN blacklist. The students dismantled the camp after Trinity said it would 'endeavour' to divest in other Israeli companies, noting that its supplier list contains just one Israeli company which remained in place until March this year for contractual reasons. On Wednesday, Trinity's board received a report from a taskforce set up last October to examine academic and institutional links, including with Israel. Although the report is to return to the board later this year for its final consideration, based on 'the strength of the evidence shared', the board accepted the report's recommendations in relation to links with Israel. This included recommendations that the college enter into no Erasmus, collaborative research or supply agreements with Israeli universities, institutions or firms. The college has two current Erasmus+ exchange agreements, on an inbound basis only since September 2023, with Israeli universities: the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, which ends in July 2025, and Bar Ilan University, which ends in July 2026. The taskforce also found that the college is engaged in a number of EU-funded research consortia which include Israeli partners, and – although none of these were found to be breaching international humanitarian law or human rights – the taskforce said Trinity should not seek to participate in any new institutional research agreements involving Israeli participation. It also said that Trinity should look to 'align itself' with like-minded universities and bodies in an effort to influence EU policy concerning Israel's participation in such collaborations. The taskforce noted that Trinity had divested from Israeli companies on the UN blacklist and has no current supply contracts with Israeli companies. But it recommended that the college should fully divest from all companies headquartered in Israel and that it should not enter into any future supply contracts with Israeli firms. The taskforce accepted that the college's existing intellectual property-related contracts are acceptable as they are not collaborative, but said no new commercial relationships with Israeli entities should be set up. Chairwoman of the Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) Zoe Lawlor said the decision by Trinity was a 'landmark step in academic rejection of apartheid Israel's regime'. She called on more Irish universities to do the same and paid tribute to students, academics and staff who campaigned for this outcome. 'Trinity will now stand on the right side of history, as it did with South African apartheid in the past, but it is nevertheless disappointing that it took so long to get to this position,' she said. 'We echo the view of TCD Students' Union that it remains disappointing that Trinity has not withdrawn from ongoing projects involving Israeli partners who provide military technology and training that will run until 2029. 'Nonetheless, we celebrate each and every step towards de-normalising relations with the genocidal, apartheid state of Israel. We call on the Irish Government and the EU to pay heed to the changing climate, and to act to bring an end to all Irish state complicity with the apartheid regime.' The taskforce, chaired by former president of the High Court Mary Irvine, met on 14 occasions and received 77 submissions in total.
