MOURNERS HEAR VICTIM DESCRIBED AS BEAUTIFUL AND EXEMPLARY CHILD
Mourners hear victim described as 'beautiful and exemplary child'
JOE Marlow described his eldest daughter as "the leader in the house", but on Wednesday last, the heartbroken family had to follow Jolene's remains from Newtownsaville to St Patrick's Church. Eskra,
The congregation heard parish priest, Rev. Terence Connolly, describe Jolene as "a beautiful and exemplary child."
Jolene's brothers, Niall, Paul and Rory, were extremely distressed at the service and could not be comforted by their parents.
Her sister Nicola, who was injured in the blast, is recovering in hospital in Belfast, and could not attend. So the ceremony was filmed for her to watch when she has made a full recovery.
Jolene's coffin was draped in the colours of her camogie and football teams, reflecting her passion for sport, and team-mates and school friends from Loreto Grammar formed a guard of honour along the cortege's route, as members of the Eskra Emmetts camogie team acted as pallbearers.
President of the GAA, Mr Joe McDonagh, was present at the requiem mass, reflecting Jolene's commitment to community games. Just one week before her death, she had played on the winning side in the Tyrone Senior Ladies final.
Jolene was due to receive her A-Level results on Thursday last, and her school principal revealed that the teenager was academically gifted, and had already been offered a place to study physiotherapy at the University of Ulster, Jordanstown.
Fr Connolly welcomed Rev. Brian Bower, Church of Ireland minister, to the service, saying that the "religious divide" had been crossed.
"This morning the divide does not exist . We are united in grief and sorrow," he said.
He offered words of hope to the congregation, expressing the desire that the weekend's tragedy would be the last of its kind in Northern Ireland.
"Maybe this could be a turning point, and maybe we can look forward to a better future. Maybe those people who died were martyrs for peace. Our Jolene could be a holy martyr for peace in heaven this morning," he said.
Bishop of Clogher, Dr Joseph Duffy, described Jolene as a young woman full of promise, goodness and Christian faith.
"I ask you to pray this morning that we continue to put our trust in dialogue and agreement as the only way forward for our community," he said.
He said there were still too many people who were unconvinced or half-hearted about the peace process, and about the harmony which political co-existence could bring to the community.
"We all appreciate the difficulties, especially for those who have suffered more than others. But we dare not turn back, if only because there is no other way. There is certainly no other Christian way," he concluded.
The cortege then left the church and proceeded to the adjoining cemetery at St Patrick's, to the strains of Jolene's favourite song, 'Can't Live Without You'.
JOE Marlow described his eldest daughter as "the leader in the house", but on Wednesday last, the heartbroken family had to follow Jolene's remains from Newtownsaville to St Patrick's Church. Eskra,
The congregation heard parish priest, Rev. Terence Connolly, describe Jolene as "a beautiful and exemplary child."
Jolene's brothers, Niall, Paul and Rory, were extremely distressed at the service and could not be comforted by their parents.
Her sister Nicola, who was injured in the blast, is recovering in hospital in Belfast, and could not attend. So the ceremony was filmed for her to watch when she has made a full recovery.
Jolene's coffin was draped in the colours of her camogie and football teams, reflecting her passion for sport, and team-mates and school friends from Loreto Grammar formed a guard of honour along the cortege's route, as members of the Eskra Emmetts camogie team acted as pallbearers.
President of the GAA, Mr Joe McDonagh, was present at the requiem mass, reflecting Jolene's commitment to community games. Just one week before her death, she had played on the winning side in the Tyrone Senior Ladies final.
Jolene was due to receive her A-Level results on Thursday last, and her school principal revealed that the teenager was academically gifted, and had already been offered a place to study physiotherapy at the University of Ulster, Jordanstown.
Fr Connolly welcomed Rev. Brian Bower, Church of Ireland minister, to the service, saying that the "religious divide" had been crossed.
"This morning the divide does not exist . We are united in grief and sorrow," he said.
He offered words of hope to the congregation, expressing the desire that the weekend's tragedy would be the last of its kind in Northern Ireland.
"Maybe this could be a turning point, and maybe we can look forward to a better future. Maybe those people who died were martyrs for peace. Our Jolene could be a holy martyr for peace in heaven this morning," he said.
Bishop of Clogher, Dr Joseph Duffy, described Jolene as a young woman full of promise, goodness and Christian faith.
"I ask you to pray this morning that we continue to put our trust in dialogue and agreement as the only way forward for our community," he said.
He said there were still too many people who were unconvinced or half-hearted about the peace process, and about the harmony which political co-existence could bring to the community.
"We all appreciate the difficulties, especially for those who have suffered more than others. But we dare not turn back, if only because there is no other way. There is certainly no other Christian way," he concluded.
The cortege then left the church and proceeded to the adjoining cemetery at St Patrick's, to the strains of Jolene's favourite song, 'Can't Live Without You'.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/0370
Published Date: 27-Aug-98
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