Students grieve for friend who was always smiling

Students grieve for friend who was always smiling

20 January 2016

A PRAYER service was held at the Castlewellan teenager’s grammar school the day after she lost her life in a fire in a room above her father’s butcher’s shop.

Around 200 pupils, teachers and friends gathered at the Assumption Grammar in Ballynahinch on Sunday where a book of condolence has been opened in memory of Ellen who died on the third anniversary of her mother’s death.

School principal, Peter Dobbin, has also paid a tribute to Ellen whom he described as a “fun-loving and witty 18-year-old with a deep love for her family and friends, an acceptance of her own uniqueness and great respect for her teachers.”

Those who attended Sunday’s service were told the community has lost a “loving and generous person.” Many of Ellen’s friends wept during the poignant service.

Marcelle Orsi, head of the senior school in Assumption, said Ellen was “quite simply a very warm, loving, generous student.”

The teacher continued: “She lit up any classroom that she entered, indeed any room that she came into. She was very sporty in the junior school and excelled at netball and was an accomplished skier.

“She achieved many successes in various fields. In terms of her everyday behaviour in school she was very, very popular and very well liked. It’s just such a loss. We have lost a wonderful member of the Assumption community and our thoughts and prayers are with Ellen’s close-knit family and the Castlewellan community, especially her father who is grieving the loss of his beautiful young daughter.”

The Assumption teacher said Ellen, who was due to sit her final A-level exams, heard last week that she had been accepted for Liverpool University. The teacher explained Ellen really enjoyed her sociology classes and was thinking of perhaps going down this field. 

“I think with her personality she would have been great in something like PR or marketing. She was such an affable, warm character.”

The head of the senior school since the news of Ellen’s death, “everyone has come together” with people very vocal on social media about their heartbreak.

Ms Orsi said “everyone is just devastated” and said news of Ellen’s death was difficult to take in. She said news of the teenagers’ death has been difficult for Ellen’s year group and last year’s Assumption year group to take in. She described the rippling effect throughout the community as “incredible.”

Fr Conor McCarthy, who led Sunday’s prayer service at the Assumption, said the community was “stunned” by her death.

“To have such a tragedy occur, is really heart-stopping and it stops everyone in their tracks,” he said.

“There’s very little sense that we can make of such a tragedy, Ellen having been so young and to have died so suddenly and in such a tragic fashion.”

Fr McCarthy added: “We can’t make sense of it, but we can just be with one another and be assured of the presence of the Holy Spirit accompanying us at this very difficult time.”