Hand-written messages from hundreds of heartbroken family and friends have been taken to the grave of tragic Co Donegal crash victim Georgia Doherty.
Georgia Doherty who was buried today after last Sunday’s car crash in Derry.
The 13 year old teenager from the Inishowen Peninsula, who was killed in a car crash in Derry last weekend, was buried following funeral mass at Drung today.
There were heartbreaking scenes as the white coffin carrying sports-mad Georgia was brought into St Columba’s Church.
The coffin, which was brought to the church from Georgia’s Redcastle home in a horse-drawn carriage, was littered with touching messages from family and friends.
Many of the mourners including Georgia’s dad George wore Celtic and Liverpool jerseys in honour of the young Donegal girl’s two favourite teams.
Inside the church, Fr Tony Maily paid tribute to the young teenager who had touched so many lives in her short life.
Fr Maily said “I know this isn’t Parkhead and I know this ins’t Anfield, but I don’t think God would mind if we had a round of applause for our own number ten.”
As he uttered the words a massive ovation lasting up to three minutes burst out around the church.
Offertory gifts of many trophies and medals won by Georgia were brought to the altar.
The mass was especially recorded at the family’s request for Georgia’s sister Lisa, 26.
Lisa, who was driving the car which was involved in the smash in Derry last Sunday afternoon, remains in a serious but stable condition at Altnagelvin Hospital.
Prayers were also offered during the mass for the emergency services and hospital staff who treated both Lisa and Georgia.
Georgia’s remains are brought to St Columba’s Church in Drung.
The massive congregation included Georgia’s mum Rosemarie, dad George, sister Caira and brother Connaire.
Many of Georgia’s favourite pop songs including One Direction’s ‘Best Song Ever’ were played
As Georgia’s coffin was taken form the church, the sounds of Celtic and Liverpool anthem ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ rang out into the skyline.
Many of the youngsters from Moville Community College clung on to eachother for support.
Many recalled their fondest story of Georgia when her Redcastle FC Under 12s Girls team played Moville Celtic Under 12 Boys team with Redcastle winning 6-0 and Georgia being the star of the game with a hat-trick.
The youngsters, in a specially worded tributes to Georgia, recalled her wonderful qualities.
They read “It was often said that you could hear Georgia coming before you saw her. This was due to her unique laugh, a thing that people will never forget and a thing that could light up any room.
“She was a bubbly and positive character who filled the corridors and classrooms in school with so much happiness and laughter. Never was there a dull moment when Georgia was present as she was recognised as the life and soul of her year. Within seconds of talking to her, she made people smile and laugh. She was well known for her ability to cheer people up when they were feeling sad, a reason why Georgia was recognised by so many as a great friend and a reason why she was loved dearly by all.
“This bubbly personality was not the only characteristic that Georgia held. Georgia was acknowledged by many people as a strong, reliable and loyal person who always offered her support. There were many occasions in Georgia’s life where she acted as the best friend any person could have wished for. She stood up for people when they needed support in difficult situations and she helped many overcome their fears. She always put the needs of others before her own. As a result of her strong and courageous character, Georgia helped many people become the characters that they are today. Georgia was a truly beautiful person, inside and out, and this is what many people will remember her for. She had a heart of gold and her kindness was admirable.
“Georgia was an all-round character. She was recognised for her skill in the field of sport. When asked to speak about Georgia, many people commented on the talent that she possessed. Some reckon that she could even have been the best. One particular story that comes to mind was when Georgia played for the Redcastle U12 girls’ team. They played against the Moville Celtic U12 boys’ team and won 6-0. Georgia of course was the star player, scoring three goals. Although they were beaten, the boys were not afraid to admit that Georgia was an amazing player with so much skill. Through these teams, Georgia made many friends that consider her to be a fantastic person. The memories that they have of Georgia will never go away and their high opinions of Georgia will always remain.
“Georgia was truly one of a kind. She was an extremely positive young girl who made a tremendous impact on the lives of everyone that she met.
“Georgia will continue to help us through difficult times with the memories that she created with each and every one of us. These memories will ensure that we will never walk alone at any stage in our lives. Through this difficult time we question why Georgia was taken from us, but when we consider the following lines, it may help comfort us a little: Someone once asked why God picks beautiful people to accompany him in Heaven. The response was a question, ‘If you were to select a flower from a garden, what flower would you select?’ This was followed by the answer ‘The most beautiful one’. This is certainly the case with Georgia. Her family should be very proud of the beautiful and loving girl that Georgia grew up to be. She will be missed dearly by all but we can be sure that her smile is as big in Heaven as it was on Earth. God found the angel that he was searching for in Georgia. In our hearts, she will remain, loved and missed every day.
“Rest in peace Georgia. It was an absolute privilege to have known someone as caring, loyal and positive as you.”
School principle Eamonn Ryan said he simply could not add to the wonderful and fitting tributes paid to young Georgia by her heartbroken schoolfriends.
