THE CLUSTER of candles burned welcome in the night as family and friends of murdered French film producer Sophie Toscan du Plantier gathered for a vigil on the lonely hillside in west Cork where she was killed 12 years ago to the day.
Sophie's parents, Marguerite and Georges Bouniol, were joined by about 20 friends from France and as many again from Ireland for a poignant remembrance of their daughter at the holiday home where she was murdered in the early hours of December 23rd, 1996.
Bouquets of white lilies lay beside the simple granite Celtic cross that marks the spot where Sophie's badly-beaten body was discovered by the entrance to the grass-covered track that winds its way to the white dormer cottage.
The vigil began at about 6pm and by then a smothering darkness had enshrouded the hills around Toormore with only the beam from the Mizen Head lighthouse breaking the gloom as it flashed in arcs over the hilly outcrop that lies in front of the house.
From the late Ms Toscan du Plantier's house, the view out over the rugged, savagely beautiful landscape remained unchanged, resolutely confirming the remoteness of her retreat with only two house lights visible in the middle distance offering any sign of humanity.
So it must have been that night in 1996 when, according to gardaí, it appeared that she abandoned the sanctuary of her home and fled in terror from the track through furze and briars only to be caught and bludgeoned to death by the gateway to her property.
After the prayers and the reading by Mme Bouniol of a letter she received from local parish priest, Fr Denis Cashman, who administered the last rites to Sophie, the vigil fell silent to the night and the distant muffled rumbling of the sea down in Dunmanus Bay.
The vigil was organised by the campaign group, the Association for the Truth about the Murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier, and it was its president and Sophie's uncle, Jean Pierre Gazeau, who best articulated the feeling on the night.
Mr Gazeau had explained that the vigil was a way of showing the group's determination to obtain justice for Sophie and see her killer brought to justice but it was his reflection on the sensation of being there where his niece was killed 12 years earlier that was most revealing.
"At a certain moment it was very emotional, especially at the time when we suppose Sophie was killed - between 1 o'clock and 3 o'clock - and of course when we think of the environment when she ran away from the house to finish her life here.
"Sometimes it was emotional and sometimes it was the contrary, very peaceful, and I think it was very good for Sophie's parents because they were awake for the whole night and sometimes they stayed here just silent - it was very good for all of us."
As the first grey tones of dawn were beginning to seep over the hillsides, the Bouniols began packing for the now familiar 70-mile trip to Cork airport and a flight home to Paris for Christmas. This time, though, they were leaving with some hope.
"This time last year, it was difficult for us to have hope," said Mrs Bouniol, "but this year, thanks to the work of the association we have some hope - hope that the killer of Sophie will one day be brought to justice, and that sustains us."
