On Sunday night, Hugh Harper left his grieving household to satisfy his sporting household.
Having misplaced his 14-year-old daughter Leona within the explosion in Creeslough on Friday, he visited the rugby membership the place they’ve spent so many blissful household days.
Leona had performed for the women under-14s staff at Letterkenny Rugby Club, which has a proud custom of standing by the group it serves.
The junior woman’s coach Colin Farrell is at the moment within the US however stated in an announcement that Leona joined the membership’s mini rugby staff as a teen.
“Her competitive edge and sporting prowess was evident back then when she was six,” he stated.
“Leona was an absolute pleasure to coach with her great attitude and her great sense of humour.
“On the pitch she was fiercely aggressive and though nonetheless studying the sport she was clearly creating right into a incredible younger participant.”
The sports-mad teenager additionally adopted Liverpool Football Club and had lately taken up boxing impressed by Irish legend Katie Taylor.
Letterkenny coach Jeremy Worth advised Sky News video games had been referred to as off this weekend as they tried to return to phrases with the tragedy.
“We are all in a state of disbelief, we are all shocked…she’s an integral part of our club,” he stated.
“She was someone who liked to push the boundaries and try new things, it is just tragic that someone with such a positive mindset has been taken at such a tender age.
“She’s from a rugby household, her Dad was a coach right here, he additionally performed for the membership her brother Jamie performed I feel Anthony has performed as nicely.
“Their mother Donna was a volunteer here and has helped even serving teas and doing all those important jobs.”
Mr Worth stated her father’s go to to the membership on Sunday to satisfy his daughter’s former teammates and different membership members was “heart-breaking”.
“Donegal is a very tight community and when things happen, they do completely back each other up,” he stated.
“We should also recognise the others involved in this…there are a lot of other people we know who are in the tragedy, so our heart goes out to them as well.”
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‘She may present the boys a factor or two on the pitch’
Fellow coach Peter Orsi advised Sky News the entire rugby household had despatched messages of assist.
“Her teammates are devastated in here at the minute, they are just getting consoled, she was a lovely little girl who put her heart into everything.
“She may present the boys a factor or two on the pitch!
“We are just not programmed for a child to be taken from us like this, when this happens it’s like one of your own gone.
“Some of the fellows on this membership had been referred to as down as members of the emergency companies to scramble via that rubble, to take youngsters and other people out of there.
“They are in here as well having to deal with this.”
Mr Orsi stated Leona’s father had stated simply how a lot he appreciated the assist they’d obtained from internationally of rugby over the weekend.
“It has been such a comfort for Hugh and the family,” he added.
“He actually texted me to say he was just blown away and moved by the support from clubs up and down Ireland and across Britain.”
“I said to him that rugby is like this – when a leaf falls from a branch, the tree feels the pain.”
Source: information.sky.com”