Nurse, 33, killed in Limerick hit-&-run ‘loved to laugh’ as funeral hears brother’s heartbreaking reaction to her death

THE brother of a nurse killed in a hit-and-run told mourners gathered at funeral that the “nation mourns the loss of the beautiful young woman.”

Aine O’Reilly, 33, died in a three-car crash as she drove to work in Co Limerick on Friday night.

The Pallasgreen native was pronounced dead at the scene on the N24 near Grange West, Boher, at around 11.10pm.

Crowds stood in rainy weather as her coffin was carried into St John the Baptist Church in Nicker, close to where she died.

Aine’s brother Eoin remembered his younger sister as somebody who had “touched so many”.

He said in a moving eulogy: “When I think of Aine, I think of a warm and open smile and an easy and caring attitude designed to make everybody feel comfortable in her presence and in a situation.

“She had that rare social intelligence of knowing when to ask questions and when to sit and listen and let somebody feel comfortable, whether they were a stranger or a treasured friend.

“She carried herself with an elegance and a poise, always was fashion conscious and always had her hair and makeup on point.

“For anybody who knew her, they knew she loved to laugh, she loved comedy. Her friends knew her as the mischief-maker.

He continued: “Beneath all that was a strength and a resilience which I could never truly understand and I think we should all be jealous of.

“That, with an incredible caring nature, meant that she was a brilliant nurse.”

Eoin shared that Aine loved keeping up with the news, and that she would have been fascinated by the national and international coverage her death received.

He said that he reached for his phone to text her when he saw that her death was leading RTE’s Six One.

Eoin concluded: “Aine, you will forever be part of our lives, and we all loved you in ways that unfortunately none of us were ever able to fully articulate.

“A nation mourns the loss of the beautiful young woman that you have turned into, but to mum, dad, James, Conor and myself, you will always be our precious little Aine.

“Beirigí bua agus beannacht, sleep well little sister.”

Fr Tomas O’Connell also described the deep shock felt in the community after Aine’s sudden death.

He told the congregation: “In every shop, pub, business, church, and in the streets of the villages of Pallasgreen, here in Cashel, and Old Pallas and neighbouring parishes, there was only one item that everybody was talking about.

“And people came together in groups, or in their homes, or one or two people together trying to come to terms with the awful event that had happened, and that Aine, such a lovely young girl, had lost her life in such a tragic way.”

The priest called for prayers for the man who was injured in the crash and other victims of road traffic accidents.

Aine was buried in St Columba’s cemetery in Pallasgreen.

A third person who fled the scene after the collision, leaving their vehicle behind, is being sought by investigators.

A Garda spokesperson said cops are following “a definite line of inquiry” following the fatal hit-and-run.