‘Whenever you see a rainbow, think of Olivia' – Tributes paid to ‘bright light' Olivia Tuohy (25) who died during Edinburgh Half Marathon

Irish Independent

15 hours ago

Mourners gathered at SS Peter and Paul Cathedral in Ennis this morning heard the lasting impact the young nurse had on the lives of those who knew her, leaving all those who met her 'the better for it'.
Her family were described as 'the treasures of Olivia's life' during her funeral mass this morning.
Ms Tuohy worked as a nurse in the vascular ward of the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh, having studied at Queen Margaret University.
"Olivia had a short and beautiful life. If I were to tell you all the stories we know about Olivia and those we probably didn't know, it would be like Tom Cruise, it would be Mission Impossible,' her father, Kieran, said.
He told how he was tasked with teaching his daughter how to drive, with the first lesson featuring door slamming, strong words, apologies and a hug and kiss to say that 'tomorrow, there will be no shouting'.
"And that's what happened, Olivia passed first go.'
He thanked all those who gathered to pay tribute to his daughter, adding: 'To Olivia and her brother, Stephen, we love you so, so much. Thank you to everybody.'
Ms Tuohy's mother, Liz, thanked the medical professional and fellow runners who helped her daughter on the day of her run in Edinburgh and all those who have supported them in the time since, including the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust.
"We would not be standing here today without the unwavering love and support from both our families and friends. Your warm words and acts of kindness have given us great support and comfort. For that, we will always, always be truly and deeply grateful,' she said.
"When we were travelling up to Dublin to go to Edinburgh, we were near the airport and the next thing, my sister said, 'Oh my God, look at the rainbow.' And there is this big, massive double rainbow, [biggest] that I have ever seen – the widest, biggest. I just remember saying, 'Fly high, baby girl.''
She added: "I would just like to say to friends and family that whenever you see a rainbow, think of Olivia because she will be flying high.'
Her brother, Stephen, told mourners how his sister had their dad 'wrapped around her finger' as he recalled a night-out in Vancouver with his family, adding: "One thing I've learned from this is that whenever you're out, even if it's just with your friends and family, even take a photo, because you might not have the person sitting beside you right now forever, but you'll have a memory, or you'll have a photo, which is a memory, forever.'
Her boyfriend Michael, said Ms Tuohy knew that one of his favourite activities was 'talking about you in front of the people we know' as he described her as a 'kind, beautiful, gorgeous soul'.
He thanked her for the love she brought into his life, adding: 'We shared something that has been so hard to describe to people because it was so natural and we packed so much in the time we had together, the term I've used is that we left nothing unsaid – and that is true.'
He told those gathered that some may have heard him 'sing or shout this at Olivia' as he quoted song lyrics, saying: 'Now, forever and always: 'Girl, you're my angel, you're my darling angel.''
Mourners heard how their memories of Ms Tuohy are filled with her "kindness, fun, laughter and her determined strength' as a number of symbols of her life were brought to the altar.
A football and a hurley represented her love of sport and served as a reminder to those gathered to 'play hard, love fiercely and embrace every moment'.
Her nursing uniform, badge and a memory book compiled by her colleagues in the Royal Infirmary were brought to the altar along with a shopping bag to mark her many shopping trips with friends and an Aperol Spritz glass with her name on it to show how Ms Tuohy loved 'having fun, creating time to laugh and being surrounded by friends and family'.
Her family were described as 'the treasures of Olivia's life', with a collection of family photos symbolising their importance to her.
Mourners heard how the reality that Ms Tuohy was "a positive presence for so many people' that she met throughout her life, having a "profound and lasting impact on so, so many people'.
"It feels as though a bright light has been extinguished and yet, that is the reality we face today.'
Those gathered heard how all those who met Ms Tuohy were 'the better for it' and she left an 'indelible impression'.
Ms Tuohy, who was described as 'a natural carer', used her talents in sport and in caring for others to help and support those around her, leaving a legacy of 'love, care, friendship and so many happy memories'.
Tributes have been paid to Olivia as 'a bright and beautiful spirit' whose 'bubbly personality and kind heart will be deeply missed by all who knew her' since her death on May 25.
'Olivia is survived by her heart broken parents Kieran and Liz and her brother Stephen and his partner Laura, her loving partner Michael and his parents Maria-Elena and Steven, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbours and her friends both in Ireland and Edinburgh,' her death notice reads.