Hundreds of people attended a Mass in Co Offaly on Thursday evening in memory of murdered teacher Ashling Murphy.
Friday is the second anniversary of the death of the 23-year-old, who was attacked while out running near the Grand Canal in Tullamore. Jozef Puska (33) was convicted of her murder last November and sentenced to life in prison.
The Mass took place at St Brigid’s Church in Mountbolus, where parish priest Fr Michael Meade said Ms Murphy’s family and the wider community had gathered together united by tragedy.
“This is a tragedy which will never end for Ashling’s family,” he said. “It will be a moment which will go on forever.”
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Fr Meade said what keeps people going through harsh journeys like this is the support of family, friends and the community. He spoke of the great challenges of grief and pain which people face at times in their lives.
“God is the one who gives us hope and strength when we are feeling at our lowest ebb,” he said, urging those present to “never lose faith”.
“We give thanks for the courage we have all received from Ashling,” he added, “even though she is no longer with us ... This evening we pray for Ashling whose life was ended in tragedy, and we know that she is now enjoying and living the bliss of eternal life.”
Ms Murphy was a talented musician and traditional music was performed during the Mass.
The Ashling Murphy Memorial Fund was established in the young woman’s memory a year ago and a post on its Facebook page recently noted that it had been “overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and the desire of so many to remember Ashling, regardless of whether they personally knew Ashling or not”.
“Within a year, almost 30 fundraisers were undertaken in memory of Ashling and in aid of the memorial fund established to continue her strong, exemplary legacy.”
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