Ashling Murphy remembered at packed anniversary Mass and memorial walk

THREE years to the day after her death, hundreds of people turned out to remember Ashling Murphy at an anniversary Mass in Mountbolus and a walk along the Grand Canal near Tullamore.

St Brigid's Church was packed on Sunday morning, January 12, with the congregation lined up each side of the pews and standing room only inside the main door.

Fr Michael Meade, parish priest of Kilcormac and Killoughey, was the celebrant and the Mass featured music played by members of Ballyboy Comhaltas and moving renditions of the songs Amazing Grace and The Prayer, the latter made famous by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli.

In the afternoon the annual memorial walk took place on the canal bank to the place where the 23-year-old primary teacher from Cully, Blueball was murdered on January 12, 2022.

Traditional tunes were played by many musicians and Ray Murphy, Ashling's father, played the mandolin and Ashling's sister Amy played the accordion.

Those gathered prayed a decade of the rosary and many people paused at the canalside shrine for their own private moments of reflection.

Ashling had gone for a walk along the canal bank between Tullamore and Cappincur after finishing a day's work at Durrow National School.

A graduate of Mary Immaculate College of Education, she was a keen traditional musician who gave fiddle lessons to children along with her job as a teacher in Durrow.

The Ashling Murphy Memorial Fund was founded to support the development of traditional Irish arts, culture and heritage for young people and donations can be made by logging onto the iDonate page Ashling Murphy Memorial Fund.

A post on the Ashling Murphy Memorial Fund Facebook page on Sunday morning before the Mass said: “Today we remember our beloved Ashling, who is so dearly missed each and every day, especially by her heartbroken family and wide circle of friends. Always loved, Never Forgotten, Forever Missed.”

Ashling's killer, Jozef Puska, now aged 34, is a native of Slovakia who was living in Mucklagh at the time of the killing.

He was sentenced to life in prison in November 2023 for the murder following a trial at the Central Criminal Court.