Mother of Donegal sisters who committed suicide speaks out about the pain and hurt

15-year-old daughter was distraught wrapping Christmas presents without her sister Erin

Larger Text

Print

E-mail

20 Comments

Erin and Shannon Gallagher - as close as sisters could be

Photo by Family's own

Tweet

The distraught Donegal mother of Shannon Gallagher,, who took her own life just weeks after her sister Erin did also, has stated she is ”devastated" and “numb.”

"Erin and Shannon were the lights of our lives. They were as close as any two sisters could be,” Lorraine Gallagher (36) stated.

"We are just devastated by what has happened and we just can’t say anymore. We are all just numb.

"We are lost for words to describe how beautiful they were and what they meant to us.

Read More: Tragedy as Donegal teenager found dead just months after her sister’s suicide

"We just cannot understand what has happened or why it has happened. There are no answers. We are just being asked for time to grieve and to give Shannon a proper burial.

"We are asking people, including the media, to respect our privacy and allow us time to bury Shannon with respect and dignity."

Meanwhile, the grandfather of Shannon Gallagher, the 15-year-old from Donegal who took her own life just two months after her little sister, has spoken out.

His teenage granddaughter was “missing her wee sister” and was “quite unhappy,” James Gallagher told the Irish Independent. When Erin died two months ago Shannon paid tribute to her little sister.

On Tuesday, around midnight, Shannon was found dead near her home in Ballybofey, County Donegal. Her little sister Erin committed suicide in October. Police are investigating claims that the 13-year-old was the victim of a campaign of cyber bullying before she was pushed to suicide.

James Gallagher, the sisters’ grandfather, said, “She was on Facebook to my son last night talking, saying she was quite unhappy.

“She found it quite hard that she was wrapping up presents. She said she was missing her wee sister.

“Whatever happened last night when she was wrapping the presents up for her mum and her wee brother and people.

Read More: Internet and Facebook bullying comes home to haunt Irish parents - Tragic deaths of two teenagers reveal scope of the problem

“Then she wrote on Facebook saying, 'This is the hardest thing I've had to do baby doll'. She called her wee sister baby doll.”

The Donegal Vocational Education Committee, who runs the Finn Valley College in Stranorlar, where both sisters went to school, said they were “trying to find the words and response to the tragedy”.

Chief executive Shaun Purcell said, “The school would still be in crisis mode.”

Print

E-mail

Tweet