RIP Michaela McAreavey

Leo · January 11, 2011, 11:37:18 AM

Quote from: mhacadoir on January 11, 2011, 10:59:31 AM

The GAA is a community, always has and always will, and right now and in the days, weeks and years to come them families will need the support of that community like never before.

As an ordinary member of that GAA community, from Down, and not even knowing the girl, God grant her rest, or indeed her husband or family, I am as devastated by this news as if I was part of them all. The prayers and thoughts of every GAA member are with her father, mother, brohers and John. Just too awful.

maxpower · January 11, 2011, 11:39:39 AM

Tragic, may she rest in peace

the colonel · January 11, 2011, 11:51:13 AM

Absolutely awful news. R.I.P

amallon · January 11, 2011, 11:52:33 AM

Terrible news on what should have been such a happy time in their lives.

May she rest in peace.

seafoid · January 11, 2011, 11:55:15 AM

Quote from: amallon on January 11, 2011, 11:52:33 AM
Terrible news on what should have been such a happy time in their lives.

May she rest in peace.

Aidan

It would appear that "Mayobridge" is spelt incorrectly on your profile. Must be an Armagh bug.

Ulick · January 11, 2011, 12:07:32 PM

Terrible, terrible tragedy. My thoughts are with her husband and family.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam dílis.

maddog · January 11, 2011, 12:14:07 PM

Sad tragic news. Sincere sympathy to their families who have to bear an unimaginable grief in the weeks and months ahead. God help them.

Milltown Row2 · January 11, 2011, 12:16:40 PM

Obviously we can't really speculate on how see met her death, after reading some reports about this island it seems that Rohypnol or GHB has been used on many cases involving young girls.

Terrible for the family to have live with the death of a love one but in the manner which this has happened can only be worse.

mylestheslasher · January 11, 2011, 12:32:18 PM

The news is truly heartbreaking, made all the worse by the fact it was a murder. All I can think this morning is where is the fairness in the world when a kind and generous woman is robbed of her future and a kind and generous family is robbed of a daughter. I don't know how the families are going to be able to cope with this terrible reality but I hope that somehow they can find the strength to do so.

whiskeysteve · January 11, 2011, 12:48:27 PM

What a tragedy. Can only echo the sentiments on here. Shocked when I heard the news.

A dreadful cloud on the year for all in the GAA.

R.I.P.

ApresMatch · January 11, 2011, 12:53:23 PM

Read Mickeys book last year and you got a sense of what she was like as a person,he and her seemed closer than usual.Mickey mentioned her numerous times throughout the book and she def inspired him.Reading stories about her today like making buns for tyrone players, and knitting for them makes this sadder.Makes you wonder about the world and type of place it is.

Santino · January 11, 2011, 12:59:50 PM

Quote from: nrico2006 on January 11, 2011, 09:19:37 AM
Just read this article there now, really hit home:

http://mikenesbitt.co.uk/2011/01/10/michaela-harte/

Lynda and I met Michaela Harte when her father brought her into the UTV studios some years ago when he was there for an interview. It is easy to say now that they were the perfect father-daughter combination, but you get a sense of these things, and I trust mine almost as much as I trust Lynda's – and we both thought the same.

What a shock to hear that Michaela has gone. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Hartes and the McAreaveys.

Mickey Harte did the most wonderful thing for me once. I asked if he would help a young man who was dying of cancer by letting him watch Tyrone train ahead of the 2003 All-Ireland Final. He did, and he ensured the team treated young David Gillespie as a superstar. But that is what decent people do. Mickey went the extra mile. He let it be known he did not want to read of David's passing in the papers; he wanted a call. And I am afraid he got it the weekend after he took his Tyrone team to Croke Park.

Mickey visited David's mum and dad during the wake. Anne could not believe it when she saw Mickey Harte in his match day suit at their front door – so imagine how she felt when Mickey stood back to reveal the entire Sam Maguire winning team were also there, in their match day suits, to pay their respects to a boy they had met for only half an hour.

It was an act of uncommon humanity in the midst of terrible grief for the Gillespies and unprecedented celebration for Tyrone GAA.

It is hard to take on board that a man who did so much for a mother and father who suffered the loss of a child now has to experience even more sudden and unexpected loss himself.

That story tells the world the kind of man Mickey Harte is.
Heartbreaking news.
RIP Michaela

Zapatista · January 11, 2011, 01:06:18 PM

One of my favouite parts of Mickey's book was when Michaela thought it would be a good idea if the entire team were able to sing the National Anthem before each game as an act of unity amoung them. Mickey agreed and she taught them word for word in the Irish language. I can still picture that scene in Croke Pak in 2005 facing Kerry.

My thought's and prayers are with John and all of Michaela's family and friends.

Doogie Browser · January 11, 2011, 01:11:07 PM

I think she was also the brains behind the team CD for 2003 where they all had a song each that meant so much to them, for example Cormac's was 'Gold' by Spandau Ballet. 'Little things' that Mickey references so often in his book that contribute so much to greater success.

Zapatista · January 11, 2011, 01:16:10 PM

Quote from: Doogie Browser on January 11, 2011, 01:11:07 PM
I think she was also the brains behind the team CD for 2003 where they all had a song each that meant so much to them, for example Cormac's was 'Gold' by Spandau Ballet. 'Little things' that Mickey references so often in his book that contribute so much to greater success.

This may have been the case in 2003 also. It's just the scene in 05 sticks out for me.