‘Sleep well little sister’: Brother shares last moments of nurse’s life before fatal crash

“Sleep well little sister,” said Eoin O’Reilly, who delivered a touching eulogy at the conclusion of the funeral Mass of Limerick nurse Áine O’Reilly in Nicker church this Wednesday.

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Áine (pictured below), aged 33, of Pallasgreen was killed during a hit-and-run collision on the N24, near Boher, while on her way to work in ShannonDoc on Friday night.

Eoin, on behalf of himself and his family, reflected on the “incredible response there has been both locally, nationally, and, indeed, internationally to the passing of Áine and her story”. 

“To say we're overwhelmed and thankful is such an understatement,” said Eoin.

One crumb of comfort he has is that in Áine’s last moments on earth, she was in her car, listening to her music and singing along. 

“She was going to a job she was born to do, full of hope and dreams for the next new, exciting chapter of her life - independent, free, and happy.

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“Áine, you'll forever be part of our lives. We all loved you in ways that unfortunately none of us were ever able to fully articulate.

“A nation mourns the loss of the beautiful young woman that you have turned into but to mum (Ann), dad (Eugene), James, Conor, and myself, you will always be our precious little Áine. Sleep well little sister,” said Eoin, to sustained applause by the packed congregation in St John the Baptist Church.

He began his tribute by asking how do you deliver a eulogy for your little sister who was taken so young?

“I don't really know if I can answer that but what I do know is that whereas a funeral is a time to be sad, a time to mourn and a time to say a final farewell - it is also a time to celebrate the life of somebody who touched so many people, and Áine loved a celebration.

“When I think of Áine I think of a warm and open smile, and an easy and caring attitude designed to make everybody feel comfortable in her presence and in any situation. She had that rare social intelligence of knowing when to ask questions and when to sit and listen and let somebody feel comfortable whether they were a stranger or a treasured friend.”

Eoin said his sister carried herself with elegance, poise and was fashion conscious.

“She always had her hair and make up on point and for anybody who knew her she loved to laugh. She loved comedy. Her friends knew her as the mischief maker, and anybody who spent time with her would know that when she was about to laugh, her eyebrows would raise, her eyes and mouth would open wide, and you'd be met with the loudest and warmest chuckle for the next couple of minutes.

“She loved music, to cook, to travel, to try new things, and when she found something she liked, she wanted to share that with the people she cared about.”

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He said he could never truly understand Áine’s strength and resilience which she had in abundance.

“She had an incredible caring nature meant that she was a brilliant nurse. In addition to that, it wasn't only humans who benefited. She adored animals and generations of family pets in our house will never know how lucky they had it.

“In addition to her caring nature, after so many years of being the only girl in the house, we were so happy that she finally had a sister in Aisling and, indeed, we are so thankful that she got to be an aunt even for only a little bit of time to little Dáire.”

Eoin said Áine had a keen and inquisitive mind, loved current affairs and loved being part of the zeitgeist.  

“Be that popular culture, be that politics, or be that the news. She would have had such an amazing time listening to the news coverage over the last couple of days. It was when we were watching the Six O'Clock news on RTÉ on Sunday night and we saw that she led the headlines and knocked multiple major world issues to the second half of the show that the enormity of what was happening really hit me. 

“I automatically reached for my phone to message Áine, to make sure that she was watching or to take a photo or a video to show her what was happening. It was at that moment, I realised, that's not something I'll ever be able to do again, and that none of us ever will. 

“And while thoughts like this might fill us all with sadness and fill us all with grief at the moment, we should know that in time, however long that may be, these memories will fill us with joy.”

After the funeral Mass, which was said by parish priest Fr Tomás O'Connell, and concelebrated by five priests, Áine was laid to rest in St. Columba’s cemetery, Pallasgreen.

Fr O'Connell quoted from WH Auden's poem Funeral Blues

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,

Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,

Silence the pianos and with muffled drum

Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead

Scribbling on the sky the message 'He is Dead'.

Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,

Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,

My working week and my Sunday rest,

My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;

I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,

Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,

Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood;

For nothing now can ever come to any good.

May she rest in peace