Victims' stories: Five families were yesterday struggling to come to terms with the loss of their loved ones as a result of the Wellington Quay bus tragedy on Saturday.
In Leixlip, Ms Svitlana Tyminskyy was focusing on making plans to fly the body of her husband, Vasul, home to the Ukraine on Thursday. According to his Eastern Orthodox religion, a funeral should be held within three days.
At the family home yesterday, friends of Ms Tyminskyy told The Irish Times she was "just devastated". She speaks little English and was due to celebrate their 12th wedding anniversary last Sunday.
The Tyminskyys moved to Dublin from their native Ukraine with their daughter Khrystyna (11) three years ago. They prospered in Dublin but didn't intend to remain here. They had a simple plan: to work hard, save enough money to build the house of their dreams in Ukraine, and to return there with their daughter to live among their families.
The family settled in Kew Park Avenue, a middle class housing estate in Lucan. Mr Tyminskyy worked as a plasterer with a construction company in Dublin. He earned good money and had managed to save €20,000.
He was due to return to the Ukraine next month to pick out a site for their new house.
At 1.25 p.m. on Saturday, all their dreams were shattered. Vasul Tyminskyy was about to board the Lucan-bound number 66 bus when tragedy struck. He was on his mobile phone to tell his wife and daughter he was on his way home when tragedy struck.
Khrystyna said her dad had just told her he loved her. She then heard screaming down the phone, followed by silence.
She told afterwards how she heard people shouting and roaring. Somebody then lifted up the phone and talked into it.
In Darndale, Mrs Margaret Traynor's family said their fun-loving mother was planning a foreign holiday and "had 50 things she wanted to do" on the trip.
The 59-year-old mother of four lived with her daughter, also Margaret, at Tulip Court.
Margaret had gone to the bus stop with her mother and was about to leave her when the accident happened. Mrs Traynor was planning to travel to Lucan to see her friend, Ms Ruth McKenna.
Mrs Traynor's two other daughters, Noelle and Caroline, broke the news to their relatives and loved ones. Their brother Eamon had been in Australia but travelled home on hearing of his mother's death.
"Her whole philosophy was about living for today," he said at the family home yesterday. "She really believed in appreciating what you have instead of planning too far ahead. She told us that. She crammed such a lot in."
Just a few miles away, residents of Sillogue Avenue in Ballymun described another of the dead, Mrs Teresa Keatley, as "a lovely woman".
The 43-year-old mother of three lived alone in her third-floor flat. Her youngest child was just seven.
Said one neighbour: "It's just terrible to think that she was out shopping or whatever and is never going to see anyone again."
Another friend, Ms Rita Cahill, said: "She inspired people. I loved her laugh - I'll miss that. I'll miss her an awful lot." The women had been friends for 20 years.
In Maynooth the family of Mrs Kathleen Gilton were trying to come to terms with the tragedy. The 69-year-old mother of four was among the crowd waiting on the number 66 bus. She was there with her daughter Nuala, who has Down's syndrome, who survived but is understood to be one of the eight victims who remain in hospital. The pair were inseparable and were regularly seen cycling around Maynooth where they both worked in the university's catering division.
Fr Paul Coyle of the local church, St Mary's, said Mrs Gilton was a regular Mass-goer and was known for her friendliness. "She was a wonderful woman, just a lovely person."
Neighbours described Mr Kevin Garry, of Riverdale, Leixlip, as "a very nice fella".
Yesterday a neighbour was mowing the dead man's lawn. Mr Garry (43) lived alone and had been involved in another bus accident 18 years ago outside Leixlip.
He had been due to marry at the time but had never regained full mobility. His brother-in-law, Mr Eugene Holmwood, said: "He was a quiet lad who got on with his work."
Mr Garry had just finished a shift at a Salvation Army hostel in the city on Saturday morning and was due to take the 66 bus home. Like the others who were cut down, he never made it.
