Gardaí have been dispatched to the Greek Island of Ios to aid in the investigations into the deaths of two Irish teens in separate incidents.
Andrew O’Donnell and Max Wall, both aged 18 and both students of St Michael’s College in South Dublin, died within 24 hours of each other while on a holiday with classmates celebrating the end of the Leaving Certificate.
Initial indications suggest Mr O’Donnell died as a result of a fall sustained as he returned from a night out. Mr Wall participated in the search for Mr O’Donnell and collapsed suddenly at the island’s port shortly after his classmate’s body was located on rocky ground on Sunday morning.
It is understood Mr Wall previously had health issues with his heart, with one source confirming he had a successful heart operation about three years ago. It is likely the postmortem examination, which will take place in Athens, will investigate whether these prior health issues could have been a contributory factor in his death.
Greek police have opened separate investigations into the deaths, although there is no suggestion of any criminal dimension.
Two gardaí have been sent to the island where they will assist their Greek counterparts and help liaise with Irish officials and family members. A Department of Foreign Affairs consular official is also on the ground performing a similar role.
Sources stressed the Garda presence is to assist the Greek police, who will lead the investigations.
The students were among up to 90 from St Michael’s College who had flown out to celebrate the end of their Leaving Certificate exams in what has become an annual rite of passage. They are understood to have been on the island with hundreds of other Irish students from different schools.
St Michael’s principal Tim Kelleher said a number of parents were now on the island supporting students eager to return home. The parents of both Mr O’Donnell and Mr Wall have also travelled out.
Mr Kelleher explained that news of the deaths had spread quickly among fellow students.
“They all want to leave. They were traumatised ... and people were saying ‘I want to get home’,” he said.
“A lot of these kids all know one another. They’re all South Dublin, there are kinds of family ties and friendship ties; these kids would have all known one another growing up essentially. There are hundreds of them out there at the moment, I think, just finding their way off the island. It’s a very sombre place I think, for kids to be.”
Tributes to the two boys continued to pour in on Monday, with Ireland’s under-20 rugby squad announcing the team will wear black armbands in tribute to them during the World Championship pool match against Fiji today.
Mr O’Donnell, who was from the Sandymount-Ringsend area of Dublin, was a keen rugby player and one of the stars of the school’s soccer team. He was described by Mr Kelleher as gregarious and fun.
Mr Wall was a big rugby supporter “steeped in rugby tradition of Leinster rugby and St Michael’s rugby”, gifted academically and “with the world at his feet”, the principle said.
“[They were] really bright, really smart guys. They do very well in their exams, sporting, full of life, just full of life. Just looking forward to the years ahead.”
Mr O’Donnell’s younger brother is also a student at St Michael’s while Mr Wall’s older brother had previously graduated.
