‘Truly special' – Dad's funeral tribute for woman, 24, who died during race as he reads sweet ‘we are lucky' diary entry
THE heartbroken dad of a young Irishwoman who died while taking part in a race told her funeral how a diary entry she wrote four years ago shows how she was a "truly special person".
Ellen Cassidy, 24, died after
Advertisement
2
Ellen Cassidy sadly died after falling ill near the finish line of the Cork City Marathon
Credit: Social Media
2
Ellen was remembered as 'truly special' by her heartbroken dad at her funeral today
Credit: RIP.ie
She was remembered as a person who will be "forever loved and truly missed" by her mum Violet, dad Tom, sister Mary, brother Charlie, boyfriend Rob, grandparents and "many many best friends".
The
She travelled and worked across the
Ellen's swim club, Dolphin, alongside a number of Cork running clubs, today formed a guard of honour at the steps of the Church of the Annunciation in Blackpool as the young woman was taken to be laid to rest at St Catherine's Cemetery in Kilcully.
Advertisement
READ MORE IRISH NEWS
And speaking at her funeral mass, Ellen's dad Tom told how his daughter was "not an ordinary girl", adding that she "achieved amazing things".
He said: "She always had a number of plates spinning at any one time.
"Swimming, for example, 16 hours a week. Music, four hours per week.
Attendance and practice. Piano, seven hours a week. Attendance and practice. School or university attendance. Homework and exams that go with both.
"And of course, her friends. It all started with a small group in Rappahigan, but steadily grew during her time in St. Angeles. Then it grew again in Bruce, and once again in UCD and UCC.
Advertisement
MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN
"This was supplemented by all her swimming friends at Dolphin. Her friendly rivals in Sunday's Well. Her Munster team colleagues, her Irish team colleagues, and every friend from right around the country she made during when competing at galas.
"And of course, on top of this, there was the friends she made through the School of Music and out socialising.
"How she managed to give them all the time, attention, energy, love and affection is beyond me.
"But Ellen didn't lead with elbows. She led with open arms. That made her stand out.
Advertisement
'I AM SO LUCKY'
"That made her special. And made everyone that came into contact with her feel special."
Tom told how Ellen's mum Violet found the young woman's diary shortly after her passing.
Reading out an entry from the diary to mourners, who were dressed in "their most colourful outfits" as requested by Ellen's family, Tom said it "shows us how truly special a person she was".
A particularly poignant section of the diary read: "All I want is for everything to be perfect. My family. That is what I want to be perfect. What can it be? We need to try harder.
Advertisement
"No one will love, accept or support you more than your mother, father, brother and sister. I am lucky. I am so lucky to have them.
"We are lucky. We are lucky to have each other. We need to realise that. I just want Mum, Dad, Charlie, Mary and myself to be happy."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
18 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Ireland almost leave you wanting more as shadow boxing nears end
What's rare isn't always wonderful but Friday night's friendly stalemate with Senegal in Ballsbridge, the Republic of Ireland men's senior team's first game against African opposition in just over 15 years, almost left you wanting more. The Republic had played Celtic and a Tuscan XI since June of 2010. There had been seven meetings with Georgia, six with Gibraltar and Denmark. Even three games against the mighty Oman in the space of just six years. This kind of challenge was overdue. It was Algeria who provided the opposition back in 2010, at the RDS of all places. Current Ireland assistant manager John O'Shea started at the back. Robbie Keane and Damien Duff have walked the same path to the dugout. Others, Kenny Cunningham and Kevin Doyle, are spending some of their retirement in the TV and radio studios. So, lots of water under the bridge, then, as Heimir Hallgrimsson's lads went about this end-of-season box-ticker down by the banks of the Dodder. Novelty factor wasn't the only attraction to Senegal. This was a side ranked inside the world's top 20 and replete with a rake of players who were plying their trade in the Premier League, or had in the past, and a supporting cadre from leagues around Europe and the Middle East. The pity was that the likes of Idrissa Gueye of Everton, Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson, and Ismaila Sarr, who was so central to Crystal Palace's FA Cup win last month, all started on the bench. Probably with an eye on their game against England in Nottingham next Tuesday. Still, that spelled opportunity. Hallgrimsson had framed the terms of this engagement neatly on Thursday when admitting he would have little issue with losing here and in Luxembourg on Tuesday if it meant two wins from their opening two World Cup games in September. It was hard to argue, but even ghost games like this can, in theory, serve a value in and of themselves and not just because a win here would have made it the first time that the Boys in Green had won three on the trot since 2016. That was a hat-trick of World Cup qualifiers, no less, starting with Georgia in Dublin, continuing on through to a 3-1 against Moldova in Chisenau, and ending with a 1-0 victory over Austria in Vienna courtesy of Harry Arter. Repeat that in the autumn and Ireland will have accounted for Hungary in Dublin and sacked the citadels of Armenia and Portugal. Hey, a nation can dream, and Hallgrimsson hasn't been in town long enough to pick up the Irish art of self-effacement. 'Our broader ambition is to not only qualify for the World Cup next summer, but also to be fully prepared to compete against diverse styles of play from teams around the globe when we get there. 'Facing a talented Senegalese side provides us with an excellent opportunity to test ourselves against a different type of opposition and to continue developing,' the Ireland boss wrote in his match programme notes. The game itself? Surprisingly good. Hallgrimsson has Ireland playing to a type. His type. They were aggressive without the ball and disciplined and regimented as a collective at the back. And they can be good to watch at times, too. Maybe we can dare to have our cake and eat it. Take out a red pen to the starting teamsheet here and you were left with maybe five players – Caoimhin Kelleher, Nathan Collins, Dara O'Shea, Matt Doherty and Robbie Brady – who would likely start come the serious stuff in the autumn. With Finn Azaz, Josh Cullen and Mikey Johnston given the week off, it was Kasey McAteer, goal and all, who made the most of the doors this opened. And Caoimhin Kelleher showed why the £12.5, rising to £18m, Brentford paid for him this week is a steal. Senegal were better after the break, more direct, and that created problems for Ireland. Even Kelleher couldn't deny them forever, Ismail Sarr squeezing in a rebound after Cork's finest kept another one out with an outstretched foot. We even had the sight of two teams losing the rag in the dying moments in a more or less meaningless summer friendly. And the good news is that all this shadow boxing is almost over. Finally. It's two years since Stephen Kenny's Ireland lost 2-1 to Greece in the Agia Sophia Stadium – despite a nine-day acclimatization camp in Turkey – and the team's Euro 2024 qualifying hopes went south with six group games still to play. This was Ireland's 20th game since then. That's a whole lot of filler: academic qualifiers, Nations League placeholders and friendly make-dos. Only one more to go, against Luxembourg on Tuesday, before Hungary come to Dublin in September. Win or lose in four days' time, we're coming to the end of this two-year cruise.
Irish Daily Mirror
20 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
There is a light for Ireland and Hallgrimsson as the gloom begins to lift
It was only last November when Heimir Hallgrimsson looked down a big black tunnel and failed to see any light. Now, eight months after that 5-0 hammering by England, the Icelandic boss stood in the tunnel at the Aviva and stared at a bright new dawn. Young players are alive; older ones revived; unheralded men starting to thrive. Three results in a row hardly constitutes a run but given where Ireland were a year ago, you'll take anything. Here they conceded a late equaliser but prior to that moment they produced ten glorious minutes that represented the best football an Irish side has played since Euro 2016. Not that we saw it coming because the five minutes prior were so drab it reminded you of the story about Vinny Samways. Way back in the early '90s, Samways was Mr Safe - a midfielder who stepped into the Spurs midfield just after Paul Gascoigne stepped out. You could barely think of two more different styles. One would try anything to unlock a defence whereas the other helped his opponent batten down the hatches. Eventually it got too much for the Spurs fans and Vinny Samways was renamed Vinny Sideways. Well, that was Ireland for the opening 20 minutes of last night's game. Yes, they were patient. But they were also boring, conservative and scared - frightened to take a chance or make a mistake. Any pass that didn't go sideways went backwards. Was this the instruction from the manager? You'd hope not. And then we saw it was not. From the 20th minute on, everything changed. That slow, slow, passing programme got binned. Instead Ireland upped the pace, Dara O'Shea firstly, then Jason Knight, followed by Nathan Collins, delivering these stunning, 40-yard diagonals that pinned the Senegalese back. The effect was huge. From the territorial gains came pressure; from the pressure, corners. And from the corners came a goal - Kasey McAteer getting it, the young Leicester attacker showing admirable composure to react to Yehvann Diouff's save to calmly control the dipping ball and then hammer it into the net. Suddenly the place came alive, Ireland's fans rejoicing in the idea of being ahead in a match they were expected to lose. In many ways they are the real heroes, the 32,478 fans who dug into their pockets and bring humour wherever they go. They are always positive - which is something you can't always say about the tactics they have had to watch over the years. Remember even when we were good under Big Jack, we were bad (to watch). But no matter what, this collection of singing, beer-drinking, fun-loving fans have served their country well. All they have yearned for is something to cheer about. And now they had it - as, not for the first time in this stadium, a man called McAteer wrote the headlines, but these headlines were about a goal rather than a continuation of a 20-year whinge about Brian Kerr. It was heartlifting, the sight of this fresh-faced youngster producing a smile that lit up the entire stadium. And it boosted the whole team. Suddenly, for ten minutes, we saw the best of Ireland, front-foot football, slick passing and sharp movement when they had the ball, put-em-under-pressure defending when they didn't. Matt Doherty looked reborn, a year after his international career seemed over. Robbie Brady was even better while Ryan Manning - a player who seemed destined to be nothing other than a footnote to a lost decade - is suddenly looking like a viable option for the left. Why stop there? Because Caoimhin Kelleher's fingertip stop from Krepin Diatta's 52nd minute header was world class. In front of him Collins and O'Shea looked good. Later Jake O'Brien came on as a sub and was even better. The one bad point was the Senegalese equaliser, which arrived just a minute after Brady had signalled his desire to come off - those 32-year-old legs showing the wear and tear of a long season and an even longer career. Ireland's management dithered over this decision. Senegal took advantage, their equaliser stemming down Brady's flank, the fatigued defender unable to cut out the cross which led to Ismaila Sarr's goal. If that was a source of frustration, the reaction was not. Ireland dug in for the final nine minutes. Not that they had much choice, Senegal showing us how powerful force pride can be, as they fought to extend their unbeaten run from 20 games to 21. They managed that. Truth be told they were the better team in the second half, expansive, sharp, powerful. An equaliser was earned rather than inevitable because Kelleher was having such a fine game and the quality of the subs Hallgrimsson was introducing was as good as the players they were replacing. The issue, though, was that they waited a minute too long to get Brady off the field. And the price was that a victory got downgraded to a draw. But in Leaving Cert month, if the student learns a lesson, it'll be worth it.
The Irish Sun
26 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
‘Crass' cops slammed for playing ‘snog, marry, kill' with mugshots of local call girls and felons
LAYING 'snog, marry, avoid' with colleagues at work could be sexual harassment, a tribunal has ruled. The 'crass' and 'inappropriate' game may breach the Equality Act, an Employment judge said. The risqué quiz involves naming three people and then asking a person to pick which one you would like to kiss, which one you would get married to and which one you would steer clear of altogether. In the BBC hit comedy Gavin and Stacey, Pam, Mick, Gavin and Smithy played a version of it featuring celebrities during a car ride from Essex to Wales. However, the tribunal found it may break workplace laws. The ruling came in the case of a police officer who sued Derbyshire Police after a female colleague involved him in the game — using mugshots of sex workers. READ MORE UK NEWS The officer candidly admitted to the tribunal that she had 'jokingly' played the game with co-workers and included PC Shafarat Mohammed in their discussion. PC Mohammed claimed that during the discussion in May or June 2022 he was only shown images of black women and was asked what he liked about one of them. He said he was 'embarrassed' and 'offended' by the questioning and felt it was inappropriate. The tribunal judge said: 'We agree that the questions were inappropriate.' Most read in The Sun However, the tribunal found there was no racial or religious element to it as the sex workers were of varying ethnicities. PC Mohammed lost his case for racial and religious discrimination and harassment. Two top cops accused of mocking a colleague's Irish accent in 'grossly offensive' leaving video 1 A cop sued Derbyshire Police after a female colleague dragged him into a game of 'snog, marry, avoid' using sex worker mugshots (stock picture) Credit: Getty
